


Light In The Darkness

by Golden_Asp



Series: Light in the Darkness Anthology [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: ALL THE ANGST, Altissia destroyed my soul, Anal, Anal Fingering, Angst, Ardyn is an asshole, Biting, Blood, Cindy is kind of a badass, Dark!Ignis, Dubious Consent, FFXV Spoilers, Forgiveness, Gladio can be a jerk, IgNoct, Ignis likes being bitten, Ignis needs a hug, M/M, Magical Bonds, Mentions Suicide, Mind Games, Novel Length, Oral Sex, Panic Attacks, Self-Harm, Smut, Spoilers for Whole Game, Teeth, Time Travel, Torture, Whipping, and that train scene, ardnis, attempted suicide, blood is not a lubricant kiddos, blowjob, broken ignis, but ignis definitetly takes center stage in a big way, call umbra function, dark story, every ship w/ Ardyn is problematic tbh, guilty noctis, holy shit this got really REALLY long, kinda becomes Ignis centric, problematic Ardyn X Ignis, promptio, smut at some point, so I wrote this, so does Noctis, spoilers for Altissia, straight up torture, with the others, wow i suck at summaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-09-11 02:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 40
Words: 226,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8950327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: After the events of Altissia, Noctis is consumed by guilt.  Hoping to escape, he uses Umbra to flee to the past, only to discover that he can't change what happened, but sometimes forgiveness can be found even in darkness.  Explicit in later chapters, because it keeps getting longer.
This story needs a new summary because it ran away from me and got WAY longer than anticipated.





	1. Now-The Guilt of Princes

**Author's Note:**

> So...Altissia and the events there destroyed my soul a little bit. So (SPOILERS AHEAD) I wrote this, because the first thing I did after that heartbreaking train scene was run back to the past to revel in whole Ignis. So then I figured, Noctis might just do the same.
> 
> FFXV belongs to Square Enix, not me.
> 
> Not beta-ed, all mistakes are my own.

Now

Noctis stared out the window of the train. He felt sick. It had been weeks, _weeks_ , since Luna gave her life for him. He fingered the ring. He hadn’t put it on yet. He couldn’t. He couldn’t face it. It had cost so much. Not only Luna, but…

He turned slightly and glanced across the aisle. Ignis sat quietly, his forehead resting against the window. Dark glasses covered his eyes. He looked for all the world like he was looking out the window at the passing desert, but Noctis knew better.

Ignis was trapped in a world of darkness. Because of him. Ignis hadn’t said anything, hadn’t blamed Noctis (honestly, Gladio did that enough for both of them), but Noct still knew it was his fault. 

Noct watched as Prompto dropped into the seat next to Ignis and touched his shoulder. Ignis flinched slightly, and Noctis turned back to the window. He felt like he was going to throw up. He kept seeing Luna, lovely Luna, holding the beautiful flower of Tenebrae, and the ring. He kept seeing Ardyn stabbing Luna in the stomach and walking away. He kept seeing Leviathan and feeling the amazing power of his ancestors.

He kept seeing Ignis.

He wasn’t sure what exactly had happened to Ignis, and no one was telling him. He just remembered waking from the coma, and seeing Ignis sitting in the chair facing away from him. His first thought had been joy that Ignis was there, had survived, had stayed by his side.

Then he watched as Ignis had had to feel around to stand up. He remembered being so confused. Why was Ignis wearing dark glasses inside? Then he saw the scars. Ignis had brushed aside his worry, and told him about Luna. 

“She left that for you,” he had said. Noctis had looked back up and watched in growing horror as Ignis slowly felt his way towards the door. 

Ignis was blind. Ignis was blind and Luna was dead. The ring burned in his chest pocket. He couldn’t put it on. He couldn’t.

“So, we’re going to roll through Tenebrae?” Prompto asked softly. Noct kept staring out the window.

“Not before visiting the royal tomb in Cartanica.” Ignis’ voice sounded off to Noctis. It sounded hoarse, and sad. It made the bile rise in Noct’s throat. It was his fault Ignis sounded like that. His fault Ignis was scarred.

His fault Ignis was blind.

“Are…are you up to that?” Prompto asked. Prompto was so quiet now. Gone was the exuberant young man who loved to take photos. In his place was a serious, quiet Crownsguard member who was doing his damnedest to help Ignis.

Ignis seemed to shrink down on himself for a moment. He shifted, turning his face away from Prompto. “The wounds have mended. Eyesight…is a matter of time.”

There was silence. Noctis wanted to scream. He wanted to apologize to Ignis, to wrap his arms around the taller man and not let anything else touch him. 

He couldn’t. He could barely look at Ignis. It hurt too much. It reminded him of too much. It hurt.

Gladiolus stopped and stared at the prince, his lip curling in disgust.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

It was like being hit by Thundara. Noctis’ head snapped up and he looked up at Gladiolus. Across the aisle, Prompto watched with wide eyes and Ignis tensed. They couldn’t do this now. They couldn’t fall apart and start throwing blame around. They had a job to do.

“You need to grow up and get the hell over it,” Gladiolus spat.

Ignis wanted to strangle Gladiolus. It was like when Gladiolus had up and left them for a while on the road. It was his job to protect the prince, the king, and he had just left. The prince had been through so much in the past year, and telling him to get the hell over it wasn’t going to help. Prompto put a hand on his shoulder. He thought it was Prompto, at least. 

“I am over it. I’m here, aren’t I?” Noctis’ voice was rough. Ignis’ heart broke a little to hear it. He wished he could wrap his arms around Noct and protect him, but that was never going to happen.

Gladiolus grabbed Noctis by the front of his shirt. “Maybe when you’re not too busy moping, you can look around and give a shit about someone worse off than you.”

Ignis bowed his head. His eyes, what remained of his eyes, burned. He didn’t want them to fight. Not now, not because of this, because of him.

“Let go of me,” Noctis’ voice was hard.

“How’s that ring fit ya? You’d rather carry it around then wear it? She gave her life so you could do your duty, not so you could sit around feeling sorry for yourself.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Noctis ground out. Ignis could imagine his face, angry, eyes flashing. He couldn’t see it. He was afraid he would never see it again. He knew, deep inside, that he would never see Noct’s face again, and it made him cold inside.

“You don’t!” Gladiolus snarled into Noctis’ face, “Ignis took one for you too, and for what?”

Ignis couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough, Gladio!”

“You think you’re a king, but you’re a coward.”

It hit too close to home for Noctis. “Shut up!” He went to push Gladiolus back. Ignis felt the brush of air that seemed to indicate that Prompto was no longer next to him.

“Don’t do this!” Prompto cried. Gladiolus pushed Prompto by the face. Ignis heard a body hit the chair in front of him. He turned his head back to the window. 

“I get it, alright? I get it!” Noctis yelled. He sounded close to tears.

“Then get a grip! Pull your head out of your ass already!”

Noctis couldn’t believe Gladiolus. Didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t face it. He couldn’t look at Ignis and see his failure right in front of him. He turned and stalked away. 

But he knew he wouldn’t be able walk far enough away.

He threw himself into a seat further down the train car. He pulled the ring out and looked at it, nestled innocently in his palm. His heart began to race and he felt like he was going to throw up again. He clenched the ring and tried to get his breathing under control.

He closed his eyes and centered himself. A few deep breaths later, and his heart rate was starting to get under control. He kept his eyes closed, thinking about the darkness. This was all Ignis saw now. Darkness.

He couldn’t face Ignis right now. He didn’t want to see Gladio or Prompto. He stood up and started to walk the train. Maybe moving would help keep the daemons at bay. Maybe walking would let him forget.

#

Ignis rested his head back against the cool glass of the window. His hands were clenched in his lap, the hated cane rested against his knee. He felt the seat move next to him as someone sat down. He assumed it was Prompto. He thought he had heard both Noctis and Gladio walk away.

He could feel the sun warming his face through the glass, and if he closed his ruined eyes, he could almost pretend he was like everyone else on the train. 

Almost.

He could hear Prompto breathing next to him. He sounded like he was close to tears. Ignis didn’t blame him, but he wished he would go away. Ignis wanted to scream and rail against the gods, but he didn’t, he couldn’t.

It was his job to be strong for the prince, the king. And no matter how much he wanted to let the pieces of himself shatter, he held himself together.

His fingers tightened in his lap. It was a close thing. If the others continued fighting amongst themselves, he didn’t think he could hold them together anymore.

How could he hold them together when he felt like he was seconds away from breaking into a million tiny pieces himself?

#

The train pulled into the station. Noctis knew there was a mine nearby that supposedly led to yet another royal tomb. He stood on the platform, the midday sun beating down on him, baking him in his black clothing.

Prompto stopped next to him. “Gladio and Ignis are grabbing a bite to eat in that pitiful excuse for a restaurant they call a dining car.”

Noctis nodded, his throat tightening at Ignis’ name. He was hungry too, but he knew that Gladio wouldn’t want him around. He couldn’t tell what Ignis wanted.

“How long is the train staying here?”

Prompto glanced at him. “A couple of days. Apparently something broke in the engine and they’re waiting for a replacement part.”

“Figures,” Noctis muttered, his eyes sweeping the train. “We’ll go down tomorrow then.”

Prompto nodded and walked off. Noctis felt his gut twist. Prompto had been the light of their group, and now he was quiet and withdrawn. With a sigh, Noct walked back to the train. He leapt onto the dining car and paused.

Gladio and Ignis were sitting in one of the booths. Noct lowered his head and walked to the counter and quietly placed his order. He turned and glanced at the others. Gladio had his head on his arms and refused to look at him. Ignis had his head tilted towards him, and it made Noct’s heart hurt. 

He looked down at his food. It looked like something from his elementary school cafeteria, which was not a good thing. He grabbed the tray and walked to the sleep car. He wasn’t even going to try to eat with the others. 

He slid the door to his compartment open and sat on his bed. He stared at the food for a while before setting the whole tray aside. He couldn’t eat.

He put his head in his hands and let the tears fall. He felt like he shouldn’t have any more tears left, but more always came. It seemed like he would never be able to stop crying. 

He angrily wiped his eyes. He wished he could go back. He wanted to go back and see Ignis whole, green eyes burning behind his specs, no scars marring his smooth face. He wanted to run, to escape.

He knew if he fell asleep he would only relive Altissia again and again. He had lived through it once, and wasn’t that enough?

If only he could go back. He ran his hand over his face and froze.

Go back. 

When they had gotten to the hotel in Altissia, Gentiana and Umbra had been there. 

Umbra.

He heard a whine and looked up. Umbra sat before him, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He looked sad. 

For one brief second, Noctis’ heart soared. If Umbra was here, then he would have the notebook from Luna, and that meant she was alive! She was still writing him, she was still-

Dead. She was still dead. Like his father. Like so many others.

Like Ignis nearly was.

Go back.

He lifted his head and stared at Umbra. Umbra stared back. There was more intelligence in that dog’s eyes than he had ever seen.

Go back.

_You cannot change the past, young king. It has happened and is complete. You can only escape for a little while._

He shook his head, dislodging Gentiana’s voice.

He only needed a little while. He only needed to see Ignis, complete and whole, and apologize for something that Ignis wouldn’t understand.

He needed to go back.

Noctis stared into Umbra’s sad eyes. The sounds of the train fell away. The room fell away. It was like slipping sideways. 

Go back.

Colors swirled and danced around him. The only thing he could see was Umbra’s eyes. He could hear voices; Luna, Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, his father.

He felt like he was falling into Umbra’s eyes. There was nothing except for the colors and sound swirling around him.

He was going back, and then, everything went dark.


	2. Then-The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis made it back to the past, but now he has to face Ignis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter got way longer than anticipated, so I spilt it in two. So, the smut is in the next chapter. Noctis may seem a little OOC, but he's having a hard time. And Iggy drives like a maniac. 
> 
> FFXV still doesn't belong to me.

Then

Noctis woke slowly. There was a rock digging into his hip, which was weird, because they hadn’t camped in weeks, since-

He sat up suddenly, looking around the tent. Four sleeping bags, some of Gladio’s clothes shoved in a pile in the corner, a lantern. He could hear soft voices outside the tent. It was light, clearly daytime. He had no idea what day it was. He had no idea where he was, let alone _when_ he was.

His heart raced and his breath came in short gasps. The last thing he remembered was…what? He closed his eyes and thought hard. 

Umbra. Umbra had come to him and he had-

Gone back.

He raised his hand to cover his mouth and froze. The ring was in his palm. He stifled a cry. 

He had hoped the ring wouldn’t be here. He had hoped he wouldn’t have to think about it, to look at it, to be reminded every time he felt its weight of what it had cost. 

Ignis.

His head snapped up and he lurched out of his sleeping bag. He didn’t even bother to put on his shirt or boots. He had to see Ignis. He had to make sure Ignis was okay. Everything would be right again if only he could see Ignis. He shoved the ring into his pants pocket and stumbled out of the tent.

“Good morning, Princess!” Gladio called from his Coleman camp chair. He and Prompto were mashing their fingers against their phones. Prompto waved his fingers at Noct before turning back to Gladio. It felt strange to have Gladio talking to him in a friendly manner. He had gotten so used to him berating him after Altissia that he forgot what it was like to get along with his shield.

He didn’t see Ignis. His throat tightened. Gods, where was Ignis?

“Where’s Ignis?” he croaked. His voice sounded harsh. Gladio and Prompto both looked up at him. 

“Are you okay, dude?” Prompto asked. His blue eyes swept over Noctis. It was weird seeing him without a shirt. Noct was always careful to cover up the massive scar on his back. His eyes were wide, darting around the camp, and his breathing was coming in short gasps.

“Where is Ignis?” Noctis asked again. His heart thundered in his chest. Had he messed up somehow? What if going back had changed something? Gentiana said he couldn’t change anything, hadn’t she? If Ignis was gone (he refused to think he could be dead) he didn’t know what he would do.

“He went to creek for a bit,” Gladio said slowly, staring at Noctis like he had grown a second head. He had never seen the prince look so completely panicked. 

Noct didn’t seem to hear him.

“Where is he?” his voice was rising. How could he make things right if Ignis was gone?

Prompto set his phone down and stood up slowly. “Ignis went for a walk after making breakfast. He should be back soon.”

Gladio stood up too. He frowned at the prince. What was going on? Noct’s pupils were dilated and he looked a little ill. They had all eaten the same thing yesterday, so Gladio figured if there had been something in the food, they all would’ve been showing symptoms by now. From what he could tell when he had woken up, it had seemed like Noct had slept soundly.

Noct closed his eyes and bowed his head. He took deep breaths, trying to slow his racing heart. He shouldn’t be acting like this. He couldn’t have them get suspicious. What would happen if they found out?

“He went to the creek?” Noctis asked softly, his eyes slowly opening and locking on Prompto.

Prompto nodded. The kid looked worried. He had never seen his friend act so strange before.

“There he is,” Gladio said, pointing towards the nearby creek. 

Ignis walked slowly out of the trees. He had quite enjoyed the silence of the forest as he strolled through it. Sometimes, he just had to get away. Gladio and Prompto could get overwhelming sometimes. He liked the colors of the sun filtering through the trees and glinting off the water. He loved watching the sunrise. He knew he would wake up every morning to greet the sun for as long as he lived. The way the light bled away the shadows and colors burst into existence mesmerized him. He couldn’t get enough of it. 

He paused as he came into view of the camp, a frown suddenly marring his face. Prompto and Gladio were standing there, facing a shirtless and shoeless Noct. Gladio pointed at Ignis, and Noct spun.

Ignis’ breath caught in his throat. Noct stared at him as if he had never seen him before. He took another step forward, his eyes locked on the prince. 

One second, he was standing there, staring at Noctis staring at him, the next, he was on the ground, breath driven from his lungs, and Noctis curled on top of him.

At first, Ignis was shocked. Noctis had used warp strike to launch himself at Ignis. Noctis buried his face into the crook of Ignis’ neck. Ignis was so busy trying to suck air into his lungs that it took him a few moments to realize Noct was talking.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Ignis, I’m sorry…” 

He heard heavy footfalls as Gladio and Prompto ran over to them. He held his hand up, stopping them from getting too close. 

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered. He was alarmed when he realized that he could feel tears where Noct’s cheek was pressed against his. He could count exactly how many times he had seen the prince cry. Ignis touched his shoulder. He was careful to avoid touching the scar along Noct’s spine. Noctis hated being touched there. “Noctis, what happened?”

“I’m so sorry, Iggy. My fault, all my fault. Wasn’t strong enough. Forgive me, forgive me.”

Ignis stroked his shoulder, murmuring soft words to him. His eyes locked with Gladio’s. Gladio nodded. 

“C’mon, Prompto. Let’s pack up the camp.”

Prompto nodded, glancing back at Noctis and Ignis lying in a tangled heap on the ground. The blonde followed the shield back to the camp and they quickly began to tear the camp down.

Noctis slowly sat up. He was straddling Ignis now, but he could only stare at Ignis’ face. His perfect, unmarred, scar free face.

It had worked. He had gone back.

Ignis’ eyes widened as Noct’s fingers brushed gently over his face. He froze, his body rigid beneath Noct’s.

“Highness,” he whispered, “are…are you alright?”

Blue eyes pierced his. Noctis rocked back slightly, fingers resting gently on Ignis’ high cheekbones.

“Iggy.”

“What happened?” Ignis did his best to ignore Noct’s fingers dancing over his cheeks. It was very, very distracting, yet also soothing somehow. “Did, did you have a nightmare?”

Noctis laughed, and it raised the hair on the back of Ignis’ neck. It sounded half hysterical and half crazed. It chilled him to the bone. 

“I guess you could say that, Specs. A nightmare, yeah, that works.”

Ignis blinked, staring at him. Noct’s face twisted in a sad smile. “Sorry, Iggy,” he muttered. He stood up and held his hand out to Ignis. Ignis grasped his hand and allowed the prince to pull him to his feet.

He could finally study the prince up close. It had been a little difficult to look him over when Noctis was curled on top of him. Noctis was pale, and had dark circles under his eyes. Ignis could see the tear tracks running down his cheeks. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a fine film of sweat over his body. His hands trembled slightly. Noct’s nipples stood out darkly against his white skin.

Ignis was worried. Noctis rarely got sick, but it looked like he was running a fever and hadn’t slept in days. Which was strange, because Ignis knew that Noct had slept the past two nights like a rock; a rock that had half rolled on top of him during the night. 

“How do you feel, Highness?” Ignis asked, his eyes sweeping over Noctis again.

“Better, now,” Noctis said softly, still staring at Ignis like he hadn’t seen the man in years.

“You certainly don’t look better.”

“But I feel better.”

Ignis was silent. He recognized the stubborn set of Noctis’ lips and sighed. Noct wouldn’t give up anything when he looked like that. Ignis just nodded and brushed leaves and dirt off his jacket and pants. Noctis had the good grace to look embarrassed about that.

“Come,” Ignis said, gesturing back to camp. Noctis fell into step next to him, casting glances his way as they walked. Quite frankly, it was starting to freak Ignis out a little, not that he would ever let Noct know that.

They walked into the Haven and Prompto approached them. He handed Noct a bundle of clothes.

“Here’s your shirt and jacket. Boots are by that last camp chair, and breakfast.”

Noct took them and smiled at Prompto. It felt fake on his face, like he hadn’t smiled in a long time, which he hadn’t. “Thanks, man.” 

Noctis walked over to the chair and flopped into it. He pulled his black t-shirt on and pulled the short sleeved jacket on over it. He shoved his feet into his boots and paused. He could feel the ring in his pocket. He closed his eyes briefly, shoving all thoughts about Altissia away. 

He stood up and grabbed the plate of breakfast. Sausage of some kind with birdbeast eggs and vegetables. He refused to touch the veggies, but that would come as no surprise to anyone. 

The others quickly and efficiently cleaned up the camp. Noct’s eyes swept over them. He missed this. He missed the easy comradery they’d had before Altissia and everything had fallen apart. The eggs caught in his throat and he had to blink back sudden tears. He swallowed hard, feeling the eggs stick in his throat like glue. He coughed and snatched Ignis’ mug full of Ebony. He downed it, scalding his tongue in the process.

He set the mug down and picked up his fork again. Even cold, the eggs were delicious. He savored the taste. For weeks, all they’d had to eat was that sorry dining car food or cup noodles, because Ignis-

The plate slipped from his hands. He stared at it in horror. It seemed to take forever to reach the ground. 

All they could eat was the dining car food because Ignis was blind. Ignis was blind and couldn’t cook. Would Ignis ever be able to cook again? Would he ever be able to watch Ignis standing before a stove, mixing ingredients and making delicious food out of whatever was on hand? His heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to rip itself from his chest.

He was on his knees, staring at the eggs. He was having a hard time catching his breath. He felt both hot and cold at once. This was his fault. His fault. 

It took him a while to realize that Ignis was on his knees next to him, talking to him. Noct finally tore his gaze away from the scattered eggs and looked at Ignis. 

Ignis rocked back slightly on his heels. As soon as he had heard the plate clatter, he’d spun around in time to see Noct hit his knees, a horrified expression on his face. Prompto and Gladio were frozen, both staring at the prince then looking at each other. Ignis had gotten across the camp so quickly Prompto swore he warped across the distance.

Ignis had knelt beside Noctis, his fingers gently touching the back of Noct’s neck. Noctis didn’t seem to realize he was there. He began whispering soft words to Noctis, trying to get the prince to focus on him, instead of whatever he was seeing.

When Noctis had finally looked at him, Ignis was shocked to see the utter despair in his electric blue eyes. Noct’s eyes swam with tears. He was paler than he had been, and Ignis could see his pulse jumping in his throat. He kept his one hand on the back of Noct’s neck, and ripped his glove off the other hand with his teeth. He pressed his naked hand against Noctis’ forehead. It didn’t feel like Noctis was running a fever, but he did feel a little clammy. 

“Noctis, can you hear me?”

Noct nodded, his eyes never leaving Ignis’. “I’m okay now, Iggy,” he whispered, his heart rate starting to slow. 

Ignis looked skeptical, but he removed his hands from the prince and put his glove back on. “We’re almost finished packing up camp. Just…just sit here. Drink this.” Ignis pushed a bottle of water into Noctis’ hands.

Ignis stood up and with one last glance at Noct, returned to help Gladio and Prompto. 

“What’s up with him?” Gladio asked softly.

Ignis shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

“Well, something’s definitely wrong with him,” Prompto said, looking back at Noct. Noctis raised the water bottle to his lips and took a slow drink. His hands were obviously trembling.

“What’s the plan then, Ignis?” Gladio asked, shoving the last camp chair into its bag. 

“We’re going back to Lestallum.”

“We’re over four hours outside of Lestallum, though,” Prompto said. They had left Lestallum late afternoon the day before. 

“I know, but it’s the closest major town and I want to be somewhere safe until we figure out what is going on with the prince.”

“Do we have enough gil for it?” Gladio said.

“Yes, we should be fine for at least a week. I’m hoping we won’t be there that long. Worst case scenario, we go to Cape Caem, but I’d prefer not to have Cor and the others know about this.”

“Agreed. Prompto and I will take this stuff to the Regalia. See you there in few.” Gladio and Prompto heaved the camping gear onto their shoulders and started walking towards the road.

Ignis bowed his head and turned back to Noctis. The prince hadn’t moved. He was still staring at the scattered eggs, caressing the water bottle. Ignis walked over to him and knelt next to him.

“Are you ready, Noct?” Ignis asked softly, his hand coming to rest on Noctis’ narrow shoulder.

Noctis glanced up at him, his eyes roaming over Ignis’ face. “Yeah, let’s go, Iggy.” 

Ignis held his hand out and pulled Noct to his feet. Noctis walked quietly by his side as they walked to the Regalia. He could feel Ignis’ eyes on him, but it was hard to look. To see him as he had been, not as he would be.

Noctis was starting to think that going back in time was a bad idea. He thought it had been hard seeing Ignis scarred and blind. It was almost harder to see him now, perfect and unmarred, green eyes burning behind his narrow glasses. He looked at the ground as they walked, and he could feel the ring in his pocket like a weight. 

This had been a mistake.

They reached the Regalia. Gladio and Prompto were leaning against it, talking softly. 

“Where are we off to?” Noctis asked, trying to sound normal.

“Back to Lestallum,” Ignis said as they all climbed into the car. 

“Sounds good,” Noctis said. 

Gladio and Ignis’ eyes met in the rearview mirror. Gladio frowned. Normally, Noctis would say something about turning around and going back to a city they had left the day before, but today he just nodded and stared out over the landscape as Ignis pulled the Regalia out onto the road and flipped a U-turn. 

Prompto turned the music on to cover the somewhat strained silence. No one seemed to know what to say. Noctis could feel Ignis’ eyes on him, and it made him sad. 

He would never feel Ignis’ eyes on him again.

#

Noctis felt strange. He wanted to look at Ignis, but at the same time he felt like he would just start screaming if he did. They had been on the road for a little more than hour. The road whipped by, and Noct knew that Ignis was pushing the speed of the Regalia more than usual. He could feel Gladio and Prompto stealing glances at him.

He wished they would stop. Had he gotten so used to being alone that he couldn’t stand being with them? He had run to the past to spend time with his friends before everything had shattered, and it felt like that shattered feeling had just followed him into the past.

He figured it meant that he was broken himself, and no matter what he did, he would always feel broken, shattered.

Alone.

“Noct, could you hand me the Ebony please?” Ignis asked.

“Sure thing, Iggy.” Noct leaned down and grabbed Ignis’ travel mug and handed it to him. Ignis nodded his thanks to Noct and took a sip. Noctis leaned back in his seat and stared at the back of Ignis’ head. 

His mind went back to Insomnia, and Ignis teaching him to drive. Noctis had been thrilled to finally be allowed on the road. Ignis had driven them out of the city. Noct remembered thinking that Ignis seemed far more at ease and relaxed on the road than he had ever seen him.

“You like driving, Ignis?” Noct had asked.

“Yes, your highness. I find it soothing. It lets me…escape from my duties for a while.”

Noct thought he understood. It was one of the reasons he had wanted to go to the public school. It let him escape.

Noctis shook his head and focused on where he was. He looked at Ignis’ hand resting on the wheel, his other arm perched on the door, gloved fingers caressing the wind. Even though Ignis kept looking back at Noctis with a worried expression in his eyes, he still seemed more relaxed when he drove.

When he drove.

Oh gods. Noctis sat upright suddenly, a strangled gasp tearing from his throat.

Ignis would never drive again. 

Gladio stared at him. Prompto stared at him. Ignis continued to watch the road, but his shoulders were tense, both hands now tight on the wheel. 

Ignis would never drive again. He would never again be able to sit in the driver’s seat and escape for a while. He would never again be able to feel the wind in his hair and know where he was going because he was behind the wheel. He would forever be at the mercy of someone else. He would never be able to just stand up and go out on his own. 

Gladio watched in shock as Noctis’ face went completely white. His eyes were wide and he looked awful. The prince grabbed the back of the driver’s seat.

“Pull over!” he yelled.

Ignis slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel hard to the side of the road. Before the Regalia came to a complete stop, Noctis leapt out of the back without opening the door. He put his hands on his knees and threw up.

Ignis threw open the door and was next to Noctis immediately. He touched Noct’s shoulder and murmured softly to him. Gladio and Prompto got out of the Regalia and stood by it, unsure of what to do.

Noctis clenched his eyes shut. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks. Gods, he hated throwing up. Shivers racked his body. 

He could hear Ignis’ deep voice near his head, talking soothingly to him and his hand stroking his back.

Finally, Noct had nothing left in him. He dry heaved multiple times, and his knees buckled. Ignis’ arm shot around his waist and pulled him away from the puddle of vomit. At least he hadn’t landed in it. Ignis lowered Noct to the ground and continued to stroke his back.

“Prompto, will you please grab a water bottle?” Ignis asked, glancing up at the other men.

“Sure thing,” Prompto opened the trunk and pulled one of the water bottles out of the cooler. He handed it to Ignis and walked back to stand next to Gladio. He glanced up at Gladiolus and frowned.

“What’s up with you?” Prompto asked. Gladio looked pissed.

“Ignis is too soft on him,” Gladio muttered. Prompto stared at him.

“Dude, he’s sick. How is Ignis being soft on him?”

“We don’t have time for him to be sick. Ignis is babying him. We should just move on and deal with it.”

“When was the last time you were that sick? Not just hurt from some battle injury,” Prompto said.

“Never. I don’t have time to get sick.”

“Yeah? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, big guy, but the rest of us are human. When you feel that bad you don’t want to camp in a freaking tent. You want a hot bath, a soft bed, and good sleep.”

Gladio scowled. “Ignis is still babying him.”

Prompto threw his hands in the air. “Ignis has been his main caretaker for how many years, now? Of course he’s worried about Noctis. Ignis could probably tell you every time Noctis has been sick in the past ten years. Noct doesn’t get sick, so I think Ignis is doing what needs to be done. A few days either way won’t make a difference.”

Ignis could hear Prompto and Gladio talking, but he ignored them. They didn’t matter to him in that moment. The only thing that mattered was his very ill prince.

“Here,” Ignis said, unscrewing the cap and handing the water bottle to Noct, “swish and spit.”

“You sound like my dentist,” Noctis panted, taking a sip and swishing it around his mouth and spitting it back out. He repeated.

“Yes, well, who took you to all your dentist appointments for the past twelve years or so?” Ignis asked dryly.

“True,” Noctis said. He felt…strange, smiling at Ignis. It felt like a betrayal. He wasn’t sure who he was betraying, but it didn’t feel right. He sat back on his butt and took a bigger drink. He watched Ignis out of the corner of eye, and the concerned look almost made him want to throw up again. 

He started to shiver. Ignis was sitting on the ground next to him, staring silently into the trees. Noctis set his water bottle down and stared at the man. His eyes traced Ignis’ face; smooth, perfect, unscarred. He wanted to memorize this moment. 

It felt like he had always taken Ignis for granted. He’d known that Ignis would always be there, one step behind and to the right of him. Ignis had been there practically as long as Noct could remember. Their relationship hadn’t always been easy, but Noct knew that Iggy would be there to pick up the pieces of his life. It had taken Luna’s death and Ignis being blinded for him to realize that Ignis could die. He suddenly realized that he didn’t know what to do without Ignis. 

Ignis turned his head and stopped. Noctis was staring at him intently, eyes sweeping over his face. They stared at each other for a few moments. Ignis had no idea what had caused Noctis to stare at him so intently since he had woken up that morning. Noct must have had some nightmare.

“Do you feel well enough to continue?”

“I think so,” Noctis said, finally dropping his eyes from Ignis’ face. Ignis climbed to his feet and helped Noct up. Noctis took another sip of water and spit it back out. The eggs had not been near as tasty coming back up. He was still shivering.

“Are you cold?”

“A little.”

Ignis frowned. It was fairly warm, and would be getting hotter the closer they got to Lestallum. It wasn’t a good sign that Noctis couldn’t seem to get warm.

They joined the others. Gladio looked angry about something and Prompto just looked worried about his friend.

Gladio looked at Noctis and Ignis. Noct looked pale and clammy, and he couldn’t seem to stop shivering. 

“Iggy, why don’t you sit in back with Noctis? I’ll drive,” Gladio said.

Ignis opened his mouth to agree when Noctis lunged forward. “No!”

The other three stared at him.

“No, Gladio! Ignis has to drive. He likes to drive. It helps him escape. He needs to drive.” Noctis sounded desperate. Noctis wanted Ignis to have all the driving time he could before…before he couldn’t anymore.

Ignis was staring at Noctis in surprise. Noct had remembered him saying that when he had taken the prince to learn to drive? It warmed something in Ignis’ chest. 

“Alright, Noctis, I’ll drive,” Ignis said softly. Noctis looked like he was on the verge of throwing up again. Ignis glanced at Prompto. “Can you sit in the back?”

“No prob.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. Ignis was way too soft on the prince, and Prompto was just encouraging it. Why couldn’t they understand that a king needed to be tough and not be babied by those around him?

“We’re still at least two and a half hours out of Lestallum,” Gladio said as he got in the car.

“I can make it in an hour,” Ignis said somewhat coldly. Gladio’s eyebrows shot up. Ignis had always been the type of driver to follow the speed limit exactly. Noctis got into the passenger seat and curled up. He was cold, and he didn’t understand why. 

Ignis stared down at him for a second, and then took off his leather jacket and quickly tucked it around the prince. Gladio snorted, but got into his seat. Noct pulled Ignis’ jacket tighter around him. It smelled like campfires and Ignis’ faint cologne. It was comforting.

Ignis dropped into the driver’s seat and turned to the others. “Seatbelts on,” he said, reaching over and buckling Noctis’ himself.

“What?” Prompto asked in surprise, “we never wear seatbelts.”

“I am aware of that, Prompto. I’m going to be going too fast to risk not wearing them.”

Prompto’s eyes were wide. “Oookay. That’s not slightly terrifying at all.”

Gladio grinned and buckled up. This was going to be fun. Prompto leaned back in the seat and buckled his. Ignis’ eyes swept over everyone else, making sure everyone was properly restrained. Then he threw the Regalia into gear and floored it.

Even Gladio was shocked by the speed Ignis nursed from the car. The engine purred, wheels eating the road. Ignis’ eyes never left the road. Prompto clung to the door, his eyes wide. The landscape whipped by, and they wouldn’t be able to hear themselves talk over the wind.

Noctis kept his eyes closed. He burrowed his nose into Ignis’ jacket. His eyes popped open when Ignis drifted the Regalia around a tight corner. He stared at Ignis, his mouth hanging open. He never even expected Ignis could drive like one of Insomnia’s greatest race car drivers.

“Shit, Ignis!” Gladio yelled, pushing himself back off of Prompto. “Where in the hell did you learn to drive like that?!”

“Everyone needs a hobby, Gladiolus. You didn’t honestly think I spent all my time in meetings and cooking did you?”

“I did,” Noctis said, staring at Ignis. Prompto nodded in agreement, his eyes wide. Ignis’ eyes moved from person to person in the car, and Noct swore he saw the corner of Ignis’ lips curl up in a smirk.

The smirk immediately disappeared as he glanced at Noctis. His eyes darted instantly back to the road. He couldn’t afford to be distracted at these speeds. Seatbelts or not, crashing at this speed would kill them.

“You should try to get some rest, Noct,” Ignis said, watching the road intently.

Noct glanced back at the others. “Can you put the roof up?”

“Fine with me,” Gladio nearly shouted, “I’d like to be able to hear myself think.”

Ignis flipped the switch and the Regalia’s roof covered them. The silence was heavy for a moment. Prompto looked at Gladio.

“How’s my hair?”

“You look like a Havocfang.”

“Oh no! My perfect hair!”

Noct couldn’t help but smile at Prompto. It felt so utterly normal. Prompto worrying about his hair, Gladio teasing the small blonde, and Ignis driving like a maniac. Well, that part wasn’t normal. 

It felt like he was an intruder here. This wasn’t his Ignis, his Prompto, his Gladio. His Ignis was blind, because of him. His Prompto was silent, and didn’t take pictures anymore, and his Gladio hated him. 

He pulled Ignis’ jacket over his head and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. The ring burned in his pocket. He angrily wiped tears from his eyes. 

He pulled the ring out of his pocket and stared at it under the shadow of Iggy’s jacket. It sat in his hand, but he could feel the weight of the ring, of the throne, on his soul. He could feel Luna’s arms around him, and Ignis’ hand on his back.

He shoved the ring back into his pocket. He was here, and he needed to stop thinking about his past. He was here, and he wanted to stay. 

He peeked at Ignis from under the jacket. 

He wanted to stay.

The past several weeks of little to no sleep finally caught up with Noctis, and he drifted to sleep, the comforting smell of Ignis’ jacket lingering around him like magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! More coming soon.


	3. Then-The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis dreams, Gladio and Ignis fight, and the smut is moved back another chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, Gladio is kind of a jerk in this chapter. And, once again, the smut is moved back a chapter because this damn story keeps running away with me. I apologize. It'll definitely be in chapter four though. Also, somehow got some Lunoct going on here. I also mention the 'party of three' chapter of the game, and for the purposes of this story, Gladio is gone longer than he was in the game (I don't think we were ever really given a time frame) but I made it two months.
> 
> Let me know what you think! I really appreciate all the comments, kudos, and bookmarks on this story! Makes me happy!
> 
> FFXV belongs to Square Enix, and this is not beta-ed, all mistakes are mine.

Then

_Noctis spun. He stood in the middle of field. He was clearly in Tenebrae; the flowers made that obvious. The rich scent wrapped around him, taking him back to afternoons with Luna…_

_Luna._

_His heart was in his throat. The last time he had seen this field, these flowers, Luna had given him the ring, and had left him. Left him alone._

_He looked into the distance. He could see the arched stone that surrounded Royal Tombs. That was strange. He didn’t think there was a tomb in Tenebrae. There was someone sitting on a bench outside of it. He started running._

_It was Luna. She looked sad and beautiful. He white blonde hair hung down around her shoulders, and the white dress she had worn to face Leviathan was spotless. Noctis froze. The last time he had seen that dress, it had been turning red._

_“Luna?” he whispered. She ignored him. He swallowed. In his entire life, Luna had never ignored him. Maybe she couldn’t hear him._

_Luna’s hands were clasped in her lap. She seemed to be waiting for someone. Noctis wondered if she was waiting for him._

_He reached out to touch her shoulder when her head came up and she smiled. She stood up and Noctis turned to watch her._

_His heart stopped for a moment. Ignis was making his way slowly towards the Royal Tomb. His cane tapped the ground carefully, and his free hand was out. His lips were in a tight line._

_No. No, Ignis couldn’t be here. If Ignis was here…_

_“Iggy?” Noctis whispered. He ran to intercept Ignis. He passed Luna and reached out to embrace Ignis. His hand came up to touch Ignis’ chest…_

_And he passed straight through his advisor. He stopped, staring at his hands in horror. He spun in time to see Luna stopping in front of Ignis and clasping his free hand._

_“I have been waiting for you, Ignis Scientia.”_

_Ignis tilted his head away from her, as if he didn’t want her to see the scars._

_“Lady Lunafreya. I would say it is a pleasure to see you, but I’m afraid I can’t see.”_

_Noctis felt the bile rise in his throat. How could Ignis say that? How could Ignis be here?_

_Luna smiled and kissed the back of Ignis’ hand. He twitched in surprise. “There is no need to hide, Ignis.”_

_Ignis sighed and turned his face back to her. She reached up and pulled his dark glasses off. Her fingers brushed over his scars. Ignis curled back._

_“You said you were waiting for me?”_

_“Yes, Ignis. It was only right that I greet you before you step through the gate.”_

_“No,” Noctis whispered. He stood next to them, but separate from them. Neither of them paid any attention to him. He felt so alone._

_“The gate?”_

_Luna gestured back towards the Royal Tomb. He tilted his head, his sightless eyes looking into the distance._

_“I…I don’t want to leave him.”_

_Luna cupped his cheek. “I know. Neither did I.”_

_“I’m right here!” Noctis cried. They ignored him._

_“Why…why must I leave?”_

_“You have done your duty, Ignis. You got Noctis to where he needed to be.”_

_“I…”_

_“I know, Ignis.”_

_“I’m dead?”_

_Luna bowed her head. “Yes.”_

_“NO!” Noctis screamed, reaching out to Ignis._

_Ignis gave a wordless cry and fell to his knees. Luna embraced him, holding him tightly and running her hands over his back. In the back of his mind, Noct realized that Luna had held him like that before she had died. Noctis dropped to the ground next to them. He had tears running down his face. Ignis couldn’t be dead. He_ couldn’t _be dead._

_“Ignis,” Luna touched Ignis’ chin and raised his face. “Ignis, do you know the one thing that survives death?”_

_“No, Lady Lunafreya.”_

_Luna touched the scars gently. Noct bit back a cry of amazement as Ignis’ scars receded into his skin. Green eyes blinked down at Luna. He looked at her, tears running from unmarred green eyes._

_She smiled at him. “Love, Ignis. Always love.”_

_Ignis’ eyes closed. His body shuddered._

_“Ignis, what we did for him, we both did out of love.”_

_“I left him!” Ignis said, his voice cracking. “I swore I would never leave him, and…and…” Ignis couldn’t finish._

_“Shhh, my friend. I swear to you, you will find him again, in this life, or in the next. My word as Oracle.”_

_“No, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, watching in horror as Luna helped Ignis to his feet. Noctis couldn’t move. “No, Iggy, I can’t do this alone. I can’t do this without you!”_

_Ignis’ cane rested before Noctis. He didn’t need it anymore. Ignis held his arm out to Luna. She smiled up at him and rested her arm through his._

_“King Regis is waiting to thank you,” Luna said._

_“But…I failed. I failed in my duty.”_

_“You did not fail, Ignis,” Luna said as they began to walk towards the Royal Tomb. “You love him, and that means you couldn’t fail him.”_

_Ignis was silent as they approached the gate. “I never told him.”_

_“Neither did I,” Luna said softly. “But I believe he knew. I believe he knew that we both loved him.”_

_She stopped them both before the gate. “It’s time, Ignis.”_

_“NO!” Noctis yelled, lunging to his feet. “You can’t have him! Not him! Please, Luna!”_

_He ran after them, but he didn’t seem to get any closer. “Ignis! Ignis, I’m sorry! Please, you have to forgive me! My fault, it’s all my fault!”_

_“Remember, Ignis. Love goes on after death.”_

_“Love,” Ignis whispered, staring up at the gate._

_“Always love.”_

_Noctis cried out in horror as Luna and Ignis disappeared in whirlwind of blue flowers._

_“IGNIS!”_

FFXV

Silence had fallen in the Regalia after Noct had pulled Ignis’ jacket over his head. Prompto was too scared to open his mouth. He had never moved so fast in his life. Gladio stared out the window, chin propped in his hand.

Ignis kept his hands on the wheel, purposely not looking at Noctis sleeping next to him. He could not afford to be distracted at this speed. 

Prompto saw a sign whip by and whistled. “Damn, Ignis, we’re less than 30 miles Lestallum. We’ve been driving for less than half an hour!”

Gladio looked at Prompto, then at the speedometer. “Shit, Ignis, remind me never to challenge you to a race.”

“Is this why you always kick our asses at chocobo racing too?” Prompto asked. “You’re secretly a speed daemon?” Prompto pulled his camera out and snapped a picture over Ignis’ shoulder of the dash. “Now we can show Noct.”

“Put your seatbelt back on, Prompto,” Ignis said.

“Uh, right.”

Silence fell again, but it was more comfortable this time. After about ten minutes, Ignis could hardly ignore Noct shifting under his jacket.

“No,” he heard Noctis’ voice. “No, Luna!”

Prompto leaned forward. “Is he dreaming?”

“Seatbelt on, Prompto. Please don’t make me ask again,” Ignis said. He did ease off the accelerator slightly. The Regalia was still hurtling down the road, but a little slower than before. Prompto leaned back with a sigh and buckled his seatbelt back up. 

“IGNIS!” Noct screamed, sitting straight up. His eyes were still closed.

Ignis slammed on the brakes in surprise. They locked up. The Regalia fishtailed wildly before settling into a full spin. 

“We’re gonna diiiiieeee!” Prompto yelled, closing his eyes against the landscape whipping by in circles. He was very glad he had put his seatbelt back on.

“Shut up, Prompto!” Gladio cried, clinging to the door. Noctis was still screaming Ignis’ name. He didn’t seem aware of where he was.

“Shit!” Ignis snarled, turning the wheel into the spin. It seemed to take an eternity for the Regalia to come to a halt across both lanes of the road. 

“No! You can’t have him! Not him!” Noctis sobbed, struggling against the seatbelt. Ignis unbuckled his own seatbelt and leaned across and quickly undid Noct’s.

“Ignis! Ignis!” 

“Noct,” Gladio bellowed, “wake up!”

Ignis grabbed Noctis’ arms. “Your Highness, you must wake up!”

“Ignis, Ignis,” Noctis was practically sobbing his name.

“What’s wrong with him?” Prompto whispered. Gladio reached over the seat and shook Noctis hard.

Noctis’ eyes flew open. He looked around wildly. 

“Noctis, can you hear me?” Ignis said. 

“Ignis?” Noct’s blue eyes were wide, shocked. He stared at Ignis, his chest heaving. Then he grabbed Ignis’ hand. “You’re okay?”

Ignis hid his flinch. Noctis was clinging to his hand so hard that he could feel the bones in his hand grinding together. 

“I’m fine, Noctis.”

Noctis stared at him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

Ignis had no idea what he was apologizing for. He had been apologizing to Ignis all morning, and Ignis was getting more and more worried.

Prompto leaned forward. “What were you dreaming about?”

Noctis looked at him, then at Gladio, then back at Ignis. “I don’t remember,” he lied.

“Can we just get to Lestallum?” Gladio asked, leaning back into his seat. “Maybe at a more reasonable speed?”

Noctis took a deep breath. The dream had seemed so real, and yet Ignis was sitting next to him, his hand clenched between Noctis’ own. He was alive. Ignis hadn’t left, wouldn’t leave him.

Yet, a nasty little voice in his head whispered.

Ignis’ eyes roved over Noctis’ face. He was still pale, and Ignis could see fresh tear tracks on his cheeks. “How are you feeling, Noctis?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“You look like shit,” Gladio said. Ignis shot him a dirty look over the center console. Gladio snorted at the look on Ignis’ face. “What? He does. Sorry, princess.”

“You’ve looked bad all morning, Noct,” Prompto said. 

“I’ll be fine if I can just sleep,” Noctis muttered. I’ll be fine if I can just stay here. If I can keep them from going to Altissia. I’ll be fine as long as I keep Ignis safe.

“Then let us continue to Lestallum,” Ignis said, trying to untangle his hand from Noctis’. Noct’s hand tightened. Ignis finally relented and let Noct keep a hold of him. Gladio rolled his eyes and turned his head towards the window. 

He couldn’t believe that Ignis was catering to Noctis’ wants as much as he was. When would Ignis figure out that Noctis needed to be goaded, not babied? Gladio didn’t believe that Noctis needed to hold Ignis’ hand. He didn’t believe that Noct needed to go back to Lestallum. They should just continue on. Noctis could soldier through whatever was wrong with him, and they could gather the gil they would need in Altissia. 

“Dang,” Prompto said, glancing out the window. “The weather around here is crazy. One second it’s sunny, the next, pouring down rain.” He was right; it had just started raining. 

He looked at Ignis. “Ignis, please, please, pretty please drive slower in the rain!” 

“That’s actually a good idea, Ignis,” Gladio said. Ignis shot him another dirty look.

Without a word, Ignis turned and took the wheel in his free hand. He spun the wheel and slowly pressed the accelerator down. The Regalia moved smoothly down the road.

Noctis leaned his head against the window. He realized that he was mirroring the position Ignis had sat in on the train. His hand tightened around Ignis’, and Ignis flipped his hand over so Noctis could lace their fingers together. 

Noct glanced at Ignis, but the older man was staring resolutely out the windshield. He squeezed Ignis’ hand and Ignis’ lips curled into a soft smile. 

The windshield wipers were the only sound in the Regalia. Noct continued to stare at Ignis. He was safe. He was whole. 

Ignis’ bare thumb traced circles on the back of Noctis’ hand. No one said a word.

FFXV

Less than 30 minutes later, Ignis parked the Regalia at Lestallum. The rain was coming down harder than ever, turning everything a pallid grey. It matched Noctis’ mood. If he had to be depressed, shouldn’t the world reflect his mood? 

Ignis squeezed Noct’s hand and Noctis reluctantly let go of him. The four of them got out of the car. Prompto walked to the trunk and opened it, pulling out their small go-bags with a few extra clothes in them.

“Grab the stuff that needs mending,” Ignis told him. If they were going to be in a hotel for a few days, he could at least get caught up on the mending. As much time as they spent on the road was hell on their clothing. 

“Got it,” Prompto said, digging through the trunk until he found another bag. 

Noctis pulled Ignis’ jacket around him. The rain had cooled everything off, and Noct still felt cold. He could feel Gladio’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look up. He could feel the displeasure rolling off the bigger man, and to Noct, it felt almost normal. Gladio had been so…angry and distant since Altissia that having this Gladio be mad at him felt right. 

Noctis hated that having Gladio mad at him was his new normal. 

They each picked up their bags and trudged across the street to the small city. People were still out in droves, rain be damned. They reached the hotel in silence. They were soaked through, and Ignis was worried about Noctis. 

The prince had his head bowed and Ignis’ leather jacket wrapped tightly around him. Rain dripped down his face.

“Ah, welcome back,” the man behind the desk said as they walked in. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“We ran into trouble on the road,” Ignis said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly cleaning the rain spots from his glasses. 

“Of course, sir. The suite you stayed in before is still available. Would that work?”

“That will be fine. We’ll be staying for at least two nights,” Ignis handed over the gil. The man nodded and handed over four key cards. Ignis passed them to the others and picked up his bags. They walked up a few flights of stairs until they reached the suite at the top of the hotel. 

Prompto unlocked the door and pushed it open. The others piled in and he kicked the door closed. The suite had a small common area and two bedrooms. It even had a small kitchen. 

Ignis carried his bags to the corner room and noticed Noctis just standing there, staring blankly into space. Ignis paused.

“Your Highness, please come with me,” he said.

Noct’s eyes snapped to his face. He nodded and shuffled after his advisor. He felt like he was moving through a fog. Everything (everyone) felt so distant. It was like he was standing on one side of a chasm and shouting across it to the others. 

Gladio turned with a snort and dropped his bag in the other room. Prompto followed him silently.

In the other room, Ignis dropped his bags and turned to Noctis. “Sit, your highness.”

“Can you…just call me Noctis?” Noct asked softly, staring at his feet. He didn’t want Ignis to distance himself.

Ignis was silent for a moment. “Of course, Noctis.”

Noctis dropped onto the other bed. He couldn’t stop shivering. Ignis knelt in front of Noctis and began to unlace the prince’s boots. Noctis watched him dully as Ignis pulled off his boots and set them carefully aside.

“You should take the jacket off,” Ignis said softly.

Noctis clutched it tighter to him, his eyes widening. 

“Why?”

“It’s soaked.”

Noctis looked down. His heart was in his throat. He felt like if he let go of the jacket, he would disappear from the world. It was anchoring him, soothing him. He felt his heartrate rocket again.

Ignis frowned. He watched as Noctis curled in on himself, fingers tightening around the lapels of the jacket. To Ignis, it looked like Noctis was on the verge of a panic attack. 

Another panic attack, Ignis realized. Finally able to look back on the events of the day, he realized that Noctis had had several panic attacks that day. It worried Ignis. 

When Noct was younger, after the daemon attack that had nearly killed him, the prince had been beset with panic attacks. Ignis had lost count of how many times he had woken up in the palace with the young prince curled up beside him.

Eventually, the prince had stopped coming to his room. The panic attacks had stopped. Ignis wondered what had brought them back with sudden, horrifying speed. He sighed. If Noctis needed his jacket, then he could have it.

“Alright, Noct.”

Noctis relaxed, his body slowly straightening back out. He looked up at Ignis through his eyelashes. 

“You need to sleep, Noct.”

Noctis took a shuddering breath. “I know. I…”

“Nightmares?”

Noctis nodded. It wasn’t like he could tell Ignis that it wasn’t really nightmares. It was reality that kept him sleeping. It was the heavy weight of the Ring of the Lucii in his pocket. It was knowing that Noctis had failed and Ignis’ life was completely changed because of it.

It was the guilt that would keep him awake. Every night was the same. He turned the events of Altissia over in his mind, second guessing himself and wondering what he could have done differently. 

Wondering if he could’ve saved Luna and Ignis.

He angrily blinked back tears. He was so tired of crying. Tears couldn’t change what happened. He gasped when he felt Ignis touch the top of his head gently. Ignis didn’t say anything. He just stood there, his fingers gently moving through Noctis’ hair.

Ignis didn’t know what was plaguing Noctis, but to him it didn’t matter. Noctis was in pain, and Ignis was helpless to make it go away. He could heal physical wounds, but he had the feeling that whatever had wounded the prince was internal.

“Lie down, Noctis. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”

Gladio would say he was babying Noctis again. Ignis thought Gladio could go kick rocks. Barefoot.

Noctis sank into the bed and Ignis pulled the blanket over him. Noct was still wearing his jacket. Ignis sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed his hand back on Noct’s head. He stroked the prince’s black hair.

Noct could hear the rain pounding down outside. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the feel of Ignis’ fingers in his hair. His breathing slowed, and he thought he heard Ignis singing softly.

Part of him wanted to stay awake; it was so rare to hear Ignis sing. But the feel of Ignis’ fingers in his hair, the smell of Ignis’ jacket and the sound of Ignis’ voice lulled him to a dreamless sleep.

FFXV

Ignis stayed until he was sure Noctis was deeply asleep. The prince was breathing steadily, his face completely relaxed. He finally stood up and ran his hand through his own hair. He felt frazzled, not a feeling he enjoyed.

He glanced at the bag full of clothes waiting to be mended and walked back into the common room. Prompto was sitting on the couch, looking at pictures he had taken. 

Gladio was sitting in one of the chairs and he watched as Ignis walked slowly to the small kitchen and set the Ebony to brew. His eyes were narrow.

“So, you get him to sleep? Hold his hand, sing him a lullaby?”

Ignis closed his eyes, dropping his chin to his chest. “Are we really going to do this right now?”

Prompto looked between them, an uneasy feeling rising in his stomach. 

“Yeah, I think now seems like a great time, Ignis.”

“Fine. Speak your mind.”

Gladio stood up and started pacing. Prompto watched him silently. 

“You can’t keep babying him, Ignis. If he’s going to be king, he has to be able to stand on his own. You can’t be there to constantly wipe his ass and make sure he pisses in the toilet. He needs to be his own man.”

“I am not babying him,” Ignis’ voice was as cold as Prompto had ever it, “I am doing my job, my duty.”

Gladio snorted, stopping before Ignis with his hands on his hips. “With you around, he’ll never need to learn to stand on his own.”

“He’s doing a fine job. He will be king, Gladiolus, when he is ready.”

“He’ll never be ready!”

Ignis slammed his fist on the counter, spinning to face Gladio. “Do you think King Regis was ready when he was Noctis’ age? Do you think he sprang up fully ready to be the king?”

“I don’t think King Regis had an official ass wiper, that’s for damn sure.”

“Gladio!” Prompto said, rising from the couch.

“Shut it, blondie, this is between the real members of the Crownsguard,” Gladio snapped.

“Prompto has earned his place among the Crownsguard,” Ignis growled. “He has remained steadfast and loyal since the beginning.”

“What the hell does that mean? Are you doubting my loyalty?” Gladio looked so incredibly angry that Prompto took a step back.

“YOU LEFT!” Ignis bellowed. Prompto flinched. He had never heard Ignis sound like that. Prompto looked between the two older men. He imagined this was what it felt like to watch parents fight. 

Gladio’s eyes widened, and he actually took a step back. He had known Ignis from the time the other man had come to the Citadel as a boy, and he had never seen this side of him. Ignis had always been the image of self-control. Now, Ignis’ cheeks were flushed, his eyes sparkled dangerously, and his fists were clenched at his side.

“You left,” Ignis repeated, breathing hard. “You left him for two months to do what? Become a solo hunter?”

“I had some things to figure out! You didn’t seem to mind at the time.”

“I thought you meant a couple of days, not a couple of months!”

“That’s what you’re pissed about?” Gladiolus said incredulously. “So I left! I had to figure out who I was without being attached to the crown! Maybe you should try it, see who you are when you’re not coddling the prince. Become your own man.”

“I am my own man.”

Gladio snorted. “Everything you do is at the behest of the boy prince. You wouldn’t know what to do if you had a day to yourself. Plus, you guys made it just fine.”

“No thanks to you,” Ignis said softly. 

“It sucked, Gladio,” Prompto said softly. “Ignis was nearly killed.”

Gladio sucked in a surprised breath and stared at Ignis. “Seriously? And you guys didn’t say anything?”

“You weren’t here,” Ignis said, turning back to the coffee. “It was of no concern to you.” Ignis placed his hands on the counter and bowed his head. 

“You are supposed to be the king’s shield. Our last request from King Regis was to remain by his side, and you left.”

Gladio sighed and turned away, running his hands through his hair. “And you didn’t.”

“I am Noctis’ sworn sword, Gladio. His advisor, mentor, and I hope, friend. I can’t, I won’t leave him.”

Gladio looked at the back of Ignis’ head. “How did you almost die?”

“Cockatrice,” Prompto said, answering for Ignis. “Slashed his back, poisoned him. We were trying to hunt it, but with only three of us…”

“Why would you try to hunt something like that?”

“We were out of gil,” Ignis said shortly, “and strangely enough, all the lower level hunts were being done by a solo hunter.”

“Out of curatives too,” Prompto said. “Ignis has scars on his back that rival yours.”

Gladio took a deep breath. “Look, Ignis, I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I left you guys high and dry, but I had to figure some shit out.”

“Did you?” Prompto asked. 

Gladio looked at him. “Did I what?”

“Figure it out?”

Gladio looked back at Ignis. Even though Ignis had his back to him, he could see the tension in the tall man’s shoulders. 

“Yeah, I did,” Gladio said softly. “I’m the king’s shield, and I realized that I needed to be here to be the kick in the ass he needs sometimes. Just like Ignis needs to be here to take care of him. I guess I just wasn’t smart enough to figure that out while I was with you guys.”

Ignis stiffly poured himself a mug of Ebony. He turned to face Gladio; his eyes were still hard. “I hear your apology, but I am not the one you need apologize to.” 

Ignis walked slowly to the room he was sharing with Noctis. He paused at the threshold, staring at the dark liquid in his mug.

“You do realize that Noct wanted to be just like you when he was a boy? He wanted to be as strong as you, as good with a sword. He talked about your training sessions all the time. He’s a good man, Gladio. Look at how far he’s come.” Ignis felt a solitary tear roll down his cheek. “He will be king, and he will need all of us. I don’t know what he has been dreaming of to cause him to get this sick, but I will not push him faster or further than necessary. I need you not to second guess me, Gladiolus.”

“I…I understand, Ignis. He will be king, a great king.”

“Because we’re here for him,” Prompto said softly. He felt a little like he was butting in where he wasn’t wanted, but he had to say it.

“Ignis,” Gladio called just as Ignis was about to step through the door, “has he had nightmares like this before?”

Ignis looked at him, his eyes glinting behind his glasses. “Yes.”

Gladio frowned. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Ignis tilted his head to the side. “You never gave me the chance.” 

He shut the door, leaving Gladio and Prompto standing in silence. Prompto looked uncomfortable. Gladio looked at him.

“I’m sorry, Prompto. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. You are one of us.”

Prompto nodded slowly. “Thanks, big guy.” He looked at the closed door and then back at Gladio. “Why don’t we go get food for everyone? I don’t think Ignis is going to feel up to cooking tonight.”

Gladio sighed, knowing that he had screwed up, not just today, but when he had left them for two months. “Yeah, sounds like a plan. I think Ignis might put a dagger in me if I bother either one of them tonight.”

“Just make sure I’m there to get a picture,” Prompto said as they walked out of the hotel room.

FFXV

On the other side of the door to the room shared by Ignis and Noctis, Ignis slid down to the floor and set his mug of Ebony on the carpet next to him. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his head on his legs. 

And then he wept.


	4. Then-The Advisor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis works off some aggression, and not much else happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I know I said the smut would be in this chapter, but...it got pushed back again. This chapter is setting up for the smut, and I want do it justice. So, the entire next chapter is smut. This one starts with pretty much nothing but three pages of Ignis stretching. Because why not? So, even though nothing really happens in this chapter, I hope you all enjoy it. Sorry I keep lying about the smut! *hides behind a rock*
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes are mine.

Then

Ignis took a deep breath and looked at Noctis. He was still asleep, and Ignis was glad to see that. Ignis pulled his glasses off and wiped his eyes. He hated crying. It was a sign of weakness, and Ignis was always the strong one. 

He’d always had to be. Since the time the prince was three, Ignis had been there, watching out for him. He leaned his head back against the door, glasses hanging loosely in his hand. The room was blurry, which matched Ignis’ feelings. He felt like he was adrift.

His eyes burned as he thought back to the argument with Gladio. He hadn’t meant to yell at him. He hadn’t meant to let slip how angry he had been with Gladiolus when the man had left. Everything had been going pretty well since Gladio had come back. Ignis had kept his feelings buried deep.

Just like he always had. 

He had heard the whispers in the Citadel. There goes Ignis Scientia; he’s so unemotional he must be a magitek soldier. 

He never knew if anyone else had heard the whispers, and he never asked. He didn’t want to know. He did his duty.

Gods, was Gladio right?

No, he couldn’t be. Ignis was his own man. He was happy with his life, wasn’t he? He was content as advisor and chamberlain to the future king of Lucis.

He looked up at Noctis’ blurry form again. The familiar ache returned to his chest. Part of him wanted to put his glasses back on so he could see his prince clearly, but the other part of him just wanted to sit and let the blurry world close in on him. 

How long had it been since he realized he loved Noctis? Years. It had snuck up on him suddenly. He had been standing in Noctis’ kitchen, watching Noct and Prompto do homework when he had realized it. 

That was when he threw himself into his driving. Sneaking away in the night to push the limits of the Crownsguard vehicles. He drove like a maniac, half hoping to crash and die. He had finally compartmentalized his feelings, folding them deep beneath the surface. Ignis the magitek soldier. 

Ignis shook his head and crammed his glasses back on his face. He needed to do something, anything, to get out of his head. He lurched to his feet, and began pacing the length of the small room.

Noctis stirred slightly, and Ignis froze. He didn’t want the prince to wake up. Noctis needed sleep. 

Ignis glanced at the mending. He wouldn’t be able to sit and fix everything with the thoughts warping around his mind. Maybe if he could work himself into exhaustion he would be able to concentrate. 

He sat on the edge of the empty bed and pulled his boots off. He set them carefully on the floor and peeled his socks off. He folded them, even though they would need cleaned. He detested leaving clothing strewn around the room. He pulled his gloves off and carefully set them on the bedside table.

Ignis stood up and quickly unbuttoned his shirt. He folded the purple leopard print shirt and set it on the end of the bed. He turned and stalked to the center of the room, his toes curling into the carpet. He made sure that Noctis was still asleep, and he began to stretch.

He closed his eyes, pushing his arms through the air. He concentrated on the feel of his muscles. He moved slowly, willing his muscles to start burning. Ignis went up on his toes, lifted one leg, sliced the air with his hands.

His eyes opened and he started moving faster. His back was tight, but that was normal since the cockatrice had nearly killed him. He had three long scars running from the point of his left shoulder to his right hip. Cor had done what he could, but the delay in getting him treated had left the scars as a permanent reminder that they weren’t as strong without the four of them together.

Ignis punched the air angrily, imagining his fists connecting his Gladio’s face. He really shouldn’t be imagining that sort of thing. His fists pummeled the space in front of him. He whirled, kicking out.

He spun, kicking behind him and to the side. He had a fine sheen of sweat along his body. The faster he went, the quieter his mind got. He pivoted on one leg, his other striking invisible opponents. 

Ignis kicked up one last time, his right leg going straight up above his head. He kept it there, feeling the stretch down the back of his thigh, over his buttocks and down into the other leg. 

He fell forward, dropping into a spilt. He leaned over, touching his forehead to his knee. He was breathing hard. He closed his eyes as he shifted, bringing both legs together and lowering his chest to the carpet.

He pressed his palms into the carpet and levered his body straight into the air. His glasses dangled off his face, and he cursed himself for forgetting to take them off. He curled his toes in the air and scissored his legs back and forth a few times.

He brought his legs together and stayed like that; perfectly balanced on his palms, legs straight in the air, head down. He could feel the blood rushing to his head, but he wanted to remain like this. He wanted to collapse. His muscles burned, and he half hoped that his body would combust. 

Noctis opened one eye and then another. He blinked tiredly. Ignis was shirtless and doing a handstand in the middle of the room. Noctis could clearly see the scar and the way Ignis’ back muscles were constricted. His body shone with sweat, and his glasses were hanging precariously from his ears.

Noct stared at his advisor. When Ignis was fully dressed, it was easy to forget that he had been working on his physique since the age of 15, when he had officially began training with the Royal Guard. He was a first rate gymnast and Ignis had trained with his father’s Glaives more than once. He was just about evenly matched with Gladio. Noctis smiled at the memory of the first time Ignis had taken Gladio down in training.

Ignis shifted his weight slightly, lifting one hand slowly. Noct’s eyes widened. He had never seen Gladio do that. He felt a wave of guilt. Would Ignis still be able to do this after-

No, Noctis refused to think of Altissia now. 

Noctis watched as Ignis straightened his free arm. Noct could see his weight bearing arm trembling. He watched a bead sweat roll from Ignis’ waistband, down his spine, slithering along the scar to drip off his shoulder. He had a sudden image of his tongue following that bead of sweat and he quickly shook his head. That wasn’t what he had come back for.

Ignis lowered his arm and lifted the other. Noctis could hear Ignis breathing hard and could see his ribcage expanding. Even as hard as the man was breathing, everything was perfectly controlled.

Suddenly, Ignis placed both palms on the carpet and shoved off the ground, flipping into a standing position. His glasses had slipped off and rested on the carpet. Ignis bent down to pick them up.

“You’re really good at that,” Noctis said softly.

Ignis froze for a second, his fingers wrapping around the thin frames of his glasses. 

“You should try to get more sleep,” Ignis said, pushing his glasses back on. They slid down his nose almost immediately. He was covered in sweat. He pushed them back up with a huff.

Noctis sat up, pulling Ignis’ jacket back around him. 

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Ignis asked, walking to the bathroom and grabbing a hand towel. He took his glasses back off and wiped his face. 

“Nah,” Noctis said, his eyes sweeping Ignis’ body. Would Ignis have new scars after Altissia?

Ignis paused, unsure of what to do with Noctis’ eyes moving up and down his body.

“Your highness-“

“You said you’d call me Noctis.”

Ignis sighed, “Noctis, please. You need sleep.”

Noctis leaned back, burying his nose in the collar of Ignis’ jacket. “Where are the others?”

Ignis stiffened and turned away. Noctis frowned. That was weird. 

“As long as Gladio isn’t in this room, I don’t care,” Ignis said coldly. Noctis tilted his head.

“What happened?”

Ignis bowed his head. “Gladio and I…had words.”

“You argued?” Noctis said, suddenly wishing he had been there for that.

Ignis toweled the sweat off his chest and threw the towel over his neck. “Yes.”

“Huh.”

Ignis sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed. “It was nothing.”

“Clearly. That’s why you worked yourself into such a hot mess.”

Ignis’ eyebrows shot up. He stood back up and started pacing again. Noctis watched. Ignis wasn’t so much walking as damn near dancing across the room. It was distracting. 

“You only got about an hour of sleep, Noctis. You really should try to go back to sleep.”

Noctis dropped back to the pillows. He really was exhausted. He always slept better when Ignis was near, and he wondered if that was one of the reasons he hadn’t been sleeping. Gladio hadn’t let Ignis be alone with him since Altissia. He watched through half closed eyes as Ignis started a cool down routine.

Noctis drifted in and out. Ignis was silent as he moved his body in a perfectly controlled fashion. Noctis realized that Ignis was always in perfect control.

“Will you sing?” Noctis asked quietly. Ignis paused mid-stretch.

“Of course, your hi-Noctis.” 

Noctis’ lips curled into a smile as Ignis’ low voice started weaving around the room. 

“Your Noctis,” he muttered. He thought he heard Ignis pause in his singing, but sleep pulled him under like a wave.

FFXV

Ignis sang softly as he stretched. He had heard what Noctis had said, and his mind was whirling. Whatever calmness he had found before Noct had woken up had fled instantly. Gods above, he wished Noctis was his.

He finally stopped and stared at the prince. Noctis was breathing evenly. His color looked better than it had all day. He seemed to be sleeping easily, no nightmares at that moment. 

Ignis ran his fingers through his hair. He could feel sweat gelling on his body. He needed a shower. He walked to his bag and pulled out a pair of cotton pants and a tank top. He glanced back at Noctis. Still asleep. 

He walked into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. His chest glistened with sweat and he had circles under his eyes. He looked damn near as tired as Noctis. He left the door open so he would be able to hear if the prince woke up. 

Ignis pulled his pants off and folded them. He set his glasses on the counter and turned on the shower and stepped into the tub. He stood under the hot stream of water. He closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths. 

His mind was still reeling from Noctis’ words earlier.

“Your Noctis,” he had said.

Ignis sighed. “If only,” he muttered. 

He grabbed the soap and scrubbed his body red. He dropped the soap and bowed his head, the water plastering his hair to his forehead. He stood under the water until it started to cool. 

Ignis turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He toweled himself dry and pulled on his sleep pants. He yanked the tank top down and put his glasses back on. He rarely wore tank tops to bed anymore. Ever since Gladio had come back he had slept in an oversized shirt. He hadn’t wanted to deal with Gladiolus’ questions about the scars. 

He turned the bathroom lights off and went back out into the room. Noctis was sprawled on his stomach, Ignis’ jacket covering his head. Ignis walked over his bed and pulled out the things that needed mended.

He sat cross legged on the bed and pulled one of Prompto’s shirts to him. He licked the thread and stuck it through the eye of the needle. He began to sew, his mind drifting, images of Noct warping across his brain.

FFXV

Noctis poked his head out from underneath Ignis’ jacket. It was still daylight, but it looked like it was still raining. He sat up and glanced over to the other bed. Ignis was sitting cross legged in the middle of the bed, a pair of Noct’s pants across his lap, needle flashing in the light.

He stretched. “How long was I out?”

Ignis glanced up at him. “Four hours.”

Noctis looked surprised. He hadn’t slept that long since Altissia. Noctis pulled Ignis’ jacket around his shoulders and stood up. Ignis paused in his sewing.

“Just going to the bathroom.”

“Please wash your hands before handling that jacket,” Ignis said dryly. 

Noctis snorted as he walked into the bathroom. Iggy would be worried about that. He poked his head out. “There any food?”

Ignis set down his sewing. “Let me check. Please wait here.”

“Sure thing, Iggy.” It felt like the most normal conversation Noct had had since he had come back.

Ignis stood up as Noctis shut the bathroom door. He paused at the door to the common area. He hoped that Gladio and Prompto weren’t there.

No such luck. 

Prompto was sitting on the couch, head tilted back. He opened his eyes as Ignis walked out. Gladio was sitting at the table, reading. He glanced up at Ignis.

Ignis headed for the small kitchen. 

“There’s food for you and Noct in the fridge,” Prompto said. “It just needs to be reheated. I didn’t think you’d want to cook tonight.”

Ignis bowed slightly. “That was very thoughtful of you, Prompto. Thank you.”

Gladio watched as Ignis pointedly ignored him. He frowned. It had been a long time since he had seen Ignis in a tank top. His eyes widened when Ignis walked by and Gladio got his first look at the scars across his back.

His stomach twisted on itself. He wore his own scars proudly, but Ignis had never shown them until today. He wondered what they meant to Ignis. Gladio wondered if the scars reminded Ignis of him leaving. He watched as Ignis pulled out the meals Prompto had bought earlier that day and stuck them in the microwave. 

Prompto could feel the tension in the air between Gladio and Ignis. He just wanted everything to go back to normal. This road trip had started so innocently. Just go to Altissia, get Noctis married. And then Insomnia had fallen, and everything had gone tits up. 

Ignis pulled the plates out of the microwave and grabbed some silverware and two drinks. He started to head back to his room.

“Is Noctis doing better?” Gladio asked softly.

Ignis paused. “He seems to be. He got about four hours of sleep. I’m hoping he can get more.”

“That’s good, Ignis. Prompto and I won’t bother you guys.”

Ignis took a deep breath. They were being formal with each other, but if that’s what it took, Ignis would accept it.

“Thank you, Gladio. I think we could all use a couple of days of rest.”

“I agree,” Prompto said. “A few nights in a hotel without having to worry about daemons or bugs. Sounds heavenly.”

“Well, you and I are going to the market tonight. There’s a dart board near the tipster. It’s on,” Gladio said. Prompto grinned at him. Ignis slipped back into his room, shutting the door gently behind him and drowning out their gentle ribbing.

Noctis was sitting on the edge of his bed with Ignis’ jacket on. He was staring at his bare feet, tears rolling slowly down his cheeks. Ignis nearly dropped the plates.

“Noctis!”

He looked up at Ignis and wiped his eyes. “Sorry, Specs. What’s for dinner?”

Ignis sat down beside him and handed him the plate. “Prompto bought it. Are you okay?”

Noctis twirled some noodles around his chopsticks. “I’ll be fine, Speccy.”

Noctis shoved the food in his mouth. He had walked out of the bathroom and it had hit him all over again. Even though he knew, he _knew_ , that Ignis was in the other room, his heart had started beating rapidly, he had started sweating, and he had started shaking. Ignis was gone. Ignis was blind and it was his fault. 

Noctis had stumbled to the bed and collapsed on it, tears running down his face. Then Ignis had walked in with the food. He’d barely stopped himself from launching at Ignis. 

“What happened?” Ignis asked softly. Noctis scooted closer to him on the bed until their shoulders touched. 

“Nothing.”

“Noctis,” Ignis admonished him gently. “You know you don’t have to hide anything from me.”

Noctis bowed his head. Ignis could feel Noctis’ shoulders quaking.

Noctis stared down into the food. “You were gone. I came out of the bathroom and you were gone.”

Ignis was silent. He watched Noctis out of the corner of his eyes. Noct’s hair hid his eyes. Ignis didn’t know what had caused Noctis to panic every time Ignis walked away, but it didn’t matter to him.

He leaned into Noctis slightly, nudging him with his shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere, Noctis.”

Noctis nodded, and they ate in silence. Noctis felt cold again.

“Are you still cold?” Ignis asked after a while. He could feel Noctis shivering.

“Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be warm again,” Noctis said softly. Ignis was silent for a moment.

“I could run you a hot bath. If you like.”

Noctis finished the noodles. “That sounds great, Iggy.”

Ignis nodded and stood up. He took Noctis’ plate and set them both next to the door. He would deal with them later. He opened Noctis’ bag. 

“Do you want pants and shirt or just pants?” Ignis knew that Noctis preferred to sleep shirtless unless it was really cold. 

“Pants,” Noctis said, watching as Ignis walked to the bathroom. He heard the water turn on. A few minutes later Ignis walked back out. Noctis stood up and shuffled over to the bathroom. 

“Thanks, Iggy,” he said softly. He went to close the door.

“Noct,” Ignis said, stopping him. “I would…prefer you leave the door open, just in case.”

Noctis could fill in the rest. Just in case he had another panic attack. He nodded. “Sure thing.”

Ignis went back to his bed. He put the mending away and pulled out a book. He leaned against the headboard and started reading. The sun was starting to go down.

Noctis stood in the bathroom. He pulled off Ignis’ jacket and hung it on the back of the door. He pulled off his shirt and dropped it by the toilet. The Ring of the Lucii felt like a heavy weight in his pocket. He kicked his pants off and shoved them into a corner. He would deal with the ring later. He was just going to leave it in the pants and leave the pants in the corner. 

He stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot from crying. He was pale. He had lost weight since Altissia. It wasn’t like they had been eating well. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to the bathtub. 

He got in and smiled tightly. The water was just south of scalding, the way he liked it. He sank down until his chin was barely submerged. His eyes closed. He thought of Ignis. 

He thought of the Ignis that was sitting out in the room, one ear directed towards the bathroom. He thought of how controlled and beautiful the man had looked stretching in the center of the room, muscles bunching and sweat glistening on his chest. 

He thought of the Ignis after Altissia. Quiet, pained. 

Broken.

Noctis clenched his eyes shut tighter. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks into the water of the tub. He pictured Ignis. The terrible wounds over his eyes, the slash across his nose, his dark glasses. 

It was almost hard to look at the Ignis sitting out in the room, waiting for him. So perfect. So beautiful. 

And it was his fault Ignis was ruined. 

He dunked his head beneath the surface and held his breath. He held it until his lungs started to burn and the need for oxygen was overpowering. He surged upwards, taking deep, gulping breaths. 

He leaned back against the tub, willing his mind to clear. He sat there, letting the hot water soothe him.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been in the tub when he heard a gentle knock on the door. He opened his eyes.

“Noct, you’ve been in there for thirty minutes.” Ignis’ voice was soft, gentle.

“Alright, Specs. I’ll be out in a few.”

He heard Ignis walk away and he stood up. He pulled the plug and let the water drain. He snatched a towel and quickly wiped himself dry. He didn’t look at himself in the mirror again. He didn’t want to see himself. 

Noctis picked up his sleep pants from lid of the toilet where Ignis had put them. He pulled them on. He looked down at the pants that were wadded in the corner with the ring hidden away in them. He kicked them further behind the toilet. He turned and went to walk out, but grabbed Ignis’ jacket off the door and put it on.

He flipped the lights off and stepped into the room. He glanced at Ignis. Ignis was leaning against the headboard of his bed, long legs stretched out over the covers. He had a book in his hand, and the only light in room was from the lamp on the small table in between their beds.

Noctis looked over at his empty bed, covers rumpled from where he had slept earlier. Then he looked back at Ignis.

Reading.

Ignis would have to learn how to read Braille. Noctis felt another wave of guilt. 

He should get back into his own bed and go to sleep. But he kept looking at Ignis. He wanted, needed, to touch Ignis. If he could touch Ignis, know he was really there beside him, maybe he could be able to rest. 

He took one last look at his bed, and then walked over to Ignis’ and crawled in next to him. He put his head on Ignis’ chest and threw an arm over his waist.

Ignis froze. Noctis could feel and hear Ignis’ heart rate pick up; his head was resting right above Iggy’s heart.

Ignis didn’t move. He was shocked. When they had been boys, after the daemon attack that had nearly killed Noctis, the prince would often sneak into Ignis’ room. They would sleep curled around each other. Regis had let it continue, much to the dismay of many of Noctis’ nurses.

It had been years since they had slept in the same bed. Ignis had been both thankful and sad that Noctis’ late night trips to his bed had stopped before Ignis had realized the true depth of his feelings for the prince. 

Ignis could feel how tense Noctis was. He wasn’t sure of his reception. Slowly, Ignis allowed himself to relax. His left arm curled around Noctis, and he slowly threaded his fingers through Noct’s raven hair.

Noctis’ fist clenched in Ignis’ tank top, his hand drawing small circles on Iggy’s ribcage. Ignis took a deep breath.

Noctis felt Ignis’ muscles relax under him, and his heart rate lowered to a more reasonable rate. Ignis’ fingers gently massaged the back of Noct’s head. Noct’s arm tightened over his waist.

For the first time since Altissia, Noctis felt relaxed.


	5. Then-The Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis asks for forgiveness, and Ignis gives it. (alternate summary: Noctis and Ignis bang like bunnies.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got to the smut. Longest chapter, and no plot. Yeah...  
> Anyway, I'm pretty damn new at writing M/M smut, so I ask that you go gently on me. Enjoy this chapter, because shit gets real dark in the next one. There is some biting and blood in this chapter, fair warning. Off to update the tags.  
> Thanks for all your lovely comments.  
> Oh yeah, if anyone cares, my twitter handle is @Barnhouse8716
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Square Enix. Not beta-ed, all mistakes are mine.

Then

Noctis listened to Ignis’ heart. It was comforting. It meant that Ignis was real, that Ignis was here. He closed his eyes, inhaling the smell of Ignis’ skin. He smelled of the tea tree soap that he favored and faintly of Ebony coffee, like Ignis had drank so much of the stuff it had seeped into his skin.

Ignis took a deep breath. The warm weight of Noctis’ body against him was both comforting and distracting. Comforting to know that Noct was there and not having a panic attack, distracting because this had long been a fantasy of Ignis’. 

They were silent. Ignis ran his fingers through Noctis’ hair, his nails gently scraping Noct’s scalp. Noctis fingers danced over Ignis’ ribs. His cheek rested just above Ignis’ heart, half on the skin of Iggy’s chest, half on the rough cotton of the tank top. He figured he’d have a crease in his cheek from the ribbed seam.

He didn’t care.

Ignis’ fingers in his hair and his nails dragging along his scalp felt absolutely heavenly. Noctis hummed contentedly. 

It was easy to forget why he had come back with Ignis touching him like that.

A sudden image of Ignis after Altissia sprang into his mind. He saw the horrible wound over his left eye and temple, the smaller cut on his right eyebrow and over his nose. Noctis’ eyes flew open with a startled gasp.

Ignis’ hand stilled in his hair. Noct felt Ignis’ heart speed up again. He clung to Ignis. Ignis continued to stroke his hair.

Noctis sighed, his breath blowing over Ignis’ chest. He thought he felt Ignis shudder. He paused, considering. He took another deep breath and blew it gently over Ignis’ skin.

Ignis closed his eyes. He was very glad that Noctis wasn’t looking at his face, because he wasn’t sure he would be able to hide his reactions to what the prince was doing. He felt another rush of warm air across his chest and he looked down and froze.

Noctis was staring up at him, an expression he couldn’t read on the prince’s face.

Noct wasn’t sure how long they stared at each other in the darkening room. His world narrowed down to Ignis’ emerald green eyes.

Noctis took a deep breath, and then glanced back down at Ignis’ chest. He lifted his head slightly, and then pressed his lips over Ignis’ heart in a soft, open mouthed kiss.

Ignis gasped, nearly dropping his book on Noctis’ head. He had thought he was going to combust earlier when he had worked himself into exhaustion. That was nothing compared to what he felt when Noctis kissed his chest.

It was like a Fira spell had been released in his veins. Every nerve in his body was on fire, spreading in waves from his chest.

Noct glanced up at him. Ignis’ eyes were half closed and his mouth was parted. His cheeks were flushed.

Noctis thought he had never seen anything so beautiful. 

He made a snap decision and sat up. He flung his leg over Ignis’ and settled himself on the taller man’s lap.

Ignis’ eyes were wide.

Ifrit’s flaming ass, he could _feel_ Noctis through their thin cotton pants. And he knew that Noctis could feel him. He was at a complete loss. This was not what he had expected.

Noctis took Ignis’ book and set it on the small table between the two beds. He leaned over farther to turn the lamp on, and his cock rubbed against Ignis’. Ignis made a strangled noise, his eyes closed.

Noct sat back up and stared at Ignis’ face. He leaned forward and gently removed Ignis’ glasses. He put them on top of the book and looked at Ignis’ face.

He leaned forward, his fingers ghosting over Ignis’ face. Ignis’ eyes fluttered closed. Each little touch of Noctis’ fingers was like lightning.

Noctis pressed his lips gently against Ignis’ left temple. His lips brushed over the spots where he knew the scars would be. He held Ignis’ face still, his thumbs chasing his lips across the other man’s face.

He could feel Ignis’ shuddering breath against his throat. His lips moved over Ignis’ forehead, pressing gentle kisses on his skin, down to his right temple. He leaned back slightly to look at Ignis’ face.

He could feel Ignis hardening beneath him, and it was exquisite. He kissed each of Ignis’ eyelids, trying to convey to Ignis without words how very sorry he was for something that, for this Ignis, hadn’t happened yet.

His lips drifted down, pressing gentle kisses against Ignis’ cheeks. Ignis’ hands were slack, lying against the bed. He hadn’t moved since Noctis had taken the book from his hands. 

Ignis knew this had to be a dream. There was no way that his prince was straddling him, holding his face gently between his hands and raining soft kisses against Ignis’ face. There was no way that Noctis’ hard length was rubbing slowly, agonizingly, against his own with nothing but two thin layers of cotton between them. 

Noctis pressed a kiss against the corner of Ignis’ mouth, but he seemed reluctant to move any further.

Ignis made the decision for him. 

He turned his head and captured Noctis’ lips with his own.

Noctis sucked in a startled breath and Ignis pulled back suddenly, his cheeks flaming.

“I’m so sorry, your highness,” Ignis whispered, “I overstepped. I-“

“Ignis,” Noctis said softly, putting a finger under Ignis’ chin and tilted his head to look him in the eyes. Normally, he had a hard time reading Ignis’ emotions, but it was almost too easy to read him in that moment.

Shame, horror, desire, shame.

“I should not have-“

“Ignis,” Noctis said forcefully, “shut up.”

Ignis’ mouth snapped shut. Noctis thought he heard his teeth clack together. Noctis leaned forward and kissed the man again. Now, it was Ignis’ turn to suck in a surprised breath.

Noctis rolled his hips slightly, grinding their cocks against each other. Ignis moaned into his mouth. Noctis took the opportunity to dart his tongue into Ignis’ mouth. One of Ignis’ hands came to rest on Noct’s hip; the other buried itself in his hair, pulling him closer.

Their tongues curled around each other. Noctis hummed into Ignis’ mouth. Their kisses were gentle and exploratory; all chapped lips and probing tongues. Noctis settled himself closer to Ignis, hands splayed on his chest. He curled his fingers over the edge of Ignis’ tank top, fingers darting under the fabric to caress his flushed skin.

Ignis nipped at Noctis’ lower lip. Noctis’ fingers brushed one of Ignis’ nipples, and Ignis’ head fell back, eyes closed.

Noctis wanted to see his eyes. Noct gently put his hand behind Ignis’ head and pressed their foreheads together. They sat there for a few minutes (hours, days? Noctis wasn’t sure, and he didn’t care. He could stay like this for an eternity). 

“Open your eyes, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, his breath mingling with Ignis’.

Ignis opened his eyes. With their foreheads pressed together, Noctis’ entire field of vision was narrowed down to his advisor’s eyes. 

Until Altissia, he had never really thought about Ignis’ eyes. They were just a part of the man who was always one step behind and to the right of him. The man who pushed him, annoyed him, cooked for him, made sure his apartment was livable. The man who, no matter what stupid thing Noctis had done, was there for him. 

The man had beautiful eyes. Noctis felt another wave of guilt looking into his verdant orbs. His own eyes started to burn, and he blinked back tears.

Ignis’ hand came up and he gently wiped the tears from Noctis’ cheek. He didn’t say anything, just traced his thumbs over Noctis’ cheeks.

Noctis swallowed. He had to ask for forgiveness. He had to. Wasn’t that why he had come back? 

“Ignis…please forgive me,” he whispered, closing his eyes. He couldn’t look into those emerald green eyes anymore. 

“What do I need to forgive you for?” Ignis’ voice was soft, non-judgmental. Ignis didn’t think there was anything he needed to forgive Noctis for, but as they sat there, Ignis remembered how many times that day Noctis had apologized to him.

Noctis took a deep breath and opened his eyes. 

“My past and your future.”

Ignis’ forehead furrowed. He opened his mouth to ask just what Noctis meant by that strange statement, but Noctis kissed him, hard.

Noctis tried to pour his desperation, his love, his shame, into the kiss. He needed Ignis to know how sorry he was, how much he appreciated him.

Ignis responded to the kiss, tilting his head and opening his mouth. All he could feel was Noctis’ soft tongue and hard body against him. He would have to figure out that enigmatic statement later. If Noct needed Ignis’ forgiveness for some imagined slight, then Ignis would give it.

“I forgive you,” Ignis whispered against Noctis’ lips. 

Noctis pulled back, his eyes wide. Ignis stared at him. His eyes took in Noctis’ blue eyes and perfect face. His hair was messed up from Ignis’ fingers. 

Noctis found that he couldn’t catch his breath. Even though he knew Ignis had no idea what he had forgiven him for, he was shocked at how much those words meant to him.

“I forgive you,” Ignis said firmly.

Noctis started to shake. His heartrate skyrocketed, and not just from the excitement of making out with his advisor. Ignis could feel him trembling and he wrapped his arms around Noctis.

Noct buried his face in the crook of Ignis’ neck. Ignis’ hands moved in gentle circles on his back. Ignis dropped soft kisses anywhere his lips could reach. He could feel Noctis’ lips against his neck.

Ignis wasn’t sure how long they sat there, his hands moving in gentle circles over his own jacket. Finally, Noctis’ heartrate slowed and he sat up and kissed Ignis.

“Better?” Ignis whispered.

Noctis nodded, his fingers dancing over Ignis’ tank top. He reached down and grasped it, pulling it up. Ignis lifted his arms, allowing Noctis to pull the tank top completely off. Noctis tossed the tank top aside and Ignis frowned.

“You’re just going to leave that there?”

Noctis looked at him incredulously. “Seriously, you’re worried about your shirt right now?”

Ignis’ lips curled in a smile. He knew that Noctis would berate him for that, and he had just wanted to hear Noct’s voice sound somewhat normal. 

If he was honest with himself, for once he didn’t give a behemoth’s ass about his shirt being thrown across the room.

Noctis rolled his eyes and reached out and touched the cockatrice scar that peeked over the edge of Ignis’ left shoulder.

“We match,” Noctis said, leaning over and kissing the tip of the scar. He heard Ignis’ startled breath.

“What do you mean?”

“We both have big scars on our back. We match.”

Ignis nodded and pulled Noctis’ face down to his. They kissed lazily.

“I guess we do,” Ignis said softly. His eyes traveled down to Noctis’ chest, framed by his jacket. Ignis caressed the lapels, careful not to touch Noctis’ skin.

Noct made a frustrated noise, which caused Ignis to smile. As much as Ignis wanted Noctis naked, he was going to take this slow.

Ignis tugged on the lapels. “I think I like you in my jacket, Noctis.”

“I love you,” Noctis blurted. Ignis’ mouth fell open. Noctis felt his face heat up. He hadn’t meant to say that. He had just ruined everything. He looked away, working hard to keep his expression under control.

He gasped when Ignis’ hand cupped his cheek and turned his face back to his. Noctis refused to look at him. He didn’t want to see the pity in Ignis’ eyes.

“Noctis, look at me. Please.” Ignis’ voice was soft, gentle.

Noctis’ eyes darted to Ignis’. He was surprised to see a soft smile on the other man’s face. Ignis pressed his thumb gently against Noct’s lips.

“And I love you, Noctis.”

Noctis blinked. He looked thunderstruck. “You…you do?”

Would Ignis still love him after Altissia?

Ignis pressed their foreheads together. “Of course I love you. I have loved you since I was six. I will love you until the end.”

“Just because I’m the prince?”

“No,” Ignis said firmly. “At first, I loved you out of duty. Somewhere along the way, we became friends, and I loved you as a friend. You were sixteen when I realized my feelings ran far deeper than friendship. I have loved and will always love you, because you are Noctis. I would love you if you were nothing but a fisherman and I was a cook. We were brought together because you are the prince. I stay with you because I love you. No matter what happens.”

Noctis stared at him. He thought back to his dream that morning. He remembered Luna and Ignis standing there. He remembered that she had said they both loved him, and that Ignis had regretted not telling him.

Noctis curled his hand behind Ignis’ head. “Then don’t be afraid to tell me, Ignis.” He swallowed. “There is only one thing that follows us after death, Ignis. Love.”

Ignis was a little unnerved by the discussion. “It was inappropriate for me to feel that way, Noctis. I couldn’t say anything. And where did you hear that bit about love?”

“I heard Luna say it to someone once.”

Ignis’ eyes widened and he sat back. Shit. They were on their way to get Noctis wed and here he was with the prince on his lap, sharing kisses and confessing love. 

Noctis watched Ignis’ face pale. He figured he knew what was going through Ignis’ head. Noctis felt his heart twist slightly at the thought of Luna. He smiled and pressed his lips against Ignis’.

“Trust me, Iggy; she knows how I feel about you.”

Ignis stared at him. “Truly?”

“Yeah. She said I should tell you.” Okay, so that had never happened, but Luna was dead, and really, that was kind of what he got from the dream. 

Ignis’ hands rested on his shoulders. He looked up into Noctis’ face, and then shoved the jacket down his arms. Noctis laughed and pulled his arms from the sleeves. Ignis tossed the jacket to the floor.

“Look at you,” Noctis said with a smile, “I’ll make a slob out of you yet.”

“Unlikely,” Ignis said, his eyes moving over Noct’s chest. He looked far too thin. Ignis would have to get him to eat more. Noctis’ nipples stood out darkly against his white skin, and Ignis could see the sparse hair disappearing into his pants.

Ignis felt himself hardening again. Sometime between Noctis’ mini panic attack and confessing his feelings, they had both softened. He reached out and brushed Noct’s chest. Noctis closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. He shifted his hips again, grinding himself against Ignis’ stiffening cock.

Ignis growled, drawing his nails over Noctis’ nipples. He leaned forward and kissed the dusky nub. His tongue lapped at Noct’ nipples. He pressed his teeth into the prince’s flesh. Noctis gasped and arched his back. The movement caused their cocks to press together. Ignis cried out against Noctis’ chest.

“Gods, Ignis!”

Noctis figured that Gentiana was going to murder him for going back in time to screw his advisor. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about Altissia, he didn’t care about the ring.

The only thing he cared about was the beautiful man beneath him and what that said man was doing to him. 

Ignis’ hand tweaked Noct’s other nipple before drifting lower. His hand paused just above Noctis’ waistband. He glanced up at Noctis, asking permission with his eyes.

Noctis couldn’t refuse those eyes. Hell, he didn’t want to. He wanted this as much as Ignis. He nodded, his heart in his throat. Ignis kept his eyes locked on Noctis’ as his hand finally dropped to caress Noctis’ length.

Noctis threw his head back, mouth open, as Ignis’ hand barely grazed him. He wasn’t sure if he was actually feeling Ignis’ hand, or if it was just his imagination. 

Ignis watched him intently. He pressed his hand against Noctis and bit back his own moan. He couldn’t believe he was finally touching Noctis the way he had fantasized about for nearly six years.

He could feel the shape and heft of Noctis’ cock, and he cupped the prince’s balls, squeezing gently. Ignis dropped his head onto Noctis’ shoulder, watching his hand caress and massage Noctis’ most intimate area.

Ignis was driving Noctis absolutely mad. The man was barely touching him and it was exquisite torture. He rocked his hips forward, driving his dick into Ignis’ hand.

Ignis hooked his fingers over the waistband of Noct’s pants, and pulled them down over one hip. He pressed his lips against Noctis’ neck. Noctis lifted himself off Ignis and helped kick his pants off. They landed in a heap on the floor.

His cheeks were flushed. He was sitting in Ignis’ lap, completely naked and quite obviously very happy to be there. His cock jutted away from his belly, head swollen with the barest hint of fluid leaking from it.

Ignis stared at Noctis’ length, his hand hovering just out of range. He kissed the prince’s neck again, dragging his lips up his neck to his ear.

“Beautiful,” he whispered into Noct’s ear, his tongue darting out and tracing Noct’s earlobe.

Noctis cried out when Ignis finally wrapped his hand around him. Ignis roughly pulled his head down and silenced him with a kiss. 

“You must be quiet,” Ignis said against his mouth, “because I swear to the gods if Gladio comes charging in here because he hears you screaming, I will not be held responsible for my actions.”

Noctis nodded, deepening the kiss. There was a part of him that half wanted to see what Ignis would do to Gladio if they were interrupted, but the part of him that wanted to stay in this moment forever won out. 

He thrust into Ignis’ hand. Ignis rubbed his thumb over the head of Noct’s cock, smearing his pre-come around.

“Gods, Ignis,” Noctis panted against Ignis’ face. He felt Ignis’ lips curl into a wicked smile.

“Like that, do you?”

Noctis nodded. It never felt like that when he touched himself.

Noctis’ hands dropped to Ignis’ waist, fingers resting on the waistband of his pants. “Please, Iggy, please.”

Ignis let go of Noctis and lifted his hips and Noctis helped him slip the pants down his legs. 

Noctis got his first look at Ignis naked. His broad shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist. His body was all muscle, just not outrageously muscled like Gladio (he really didn’t want to think about Gladio right now). His fingers brushed over Ignis’ chest, pinching his nipples, and down lower to drag his fingers through the ash brown hair leading down to Ignis’ cock. Ignis groaned softly as Noct’s fingers wrapped around him. Noct stroked him gently, watching his advisor’s face in awe. 

Noctis moved forward until the head of his cock touched Ignis’. Ignis clenched his teeth to silence the moan that wanted to escape him. Noctis wrapped his fingers around both of them. Instead of stroking them, he started thrusting.

Ignis pulled his face down and kissed him. The kiss was hurried, sloppy, perfect. Their hips rose and fell together. The feel of Ignis’ cock rubbing right against his was the most perfect thing Noct had ever felt. 

Noctis trembled. He was close. 

He felt Ignis’ hands on his thighs, fingers clenching on his muscles. He figured he’d have bruises. 

Bruises would mean this had actually happened. 

Ignis’ fingers trailed up Noct’s hip to rest on his butt. Ignis ran one finger gently in between Noct’s ass cheeks, and Noctis let out a strangled gasp. 

Ignis paused, watching Noctis carefully. He wasn’t sure if Noctis was going to allow this, but he wanted, he needed, to try. 

He drew his finger down Noct’s crack, pausing at his puckered hole. Noctis felt Ignis’ finger resting right against his opening, and he pressed his ass back into Ignis’ hand.

Ignis gasped, feeling Noctis’ hole give slightly. Noctis dropped his head against Ignis shoulder to swallow his cries. Noctis pressed back again. His cock twitched every time he felt Ignis’ finger almost penetrate him.

“Noct, Noctis,” Ignis panted, “you have to stop.”

“Why? Feels good,” Noctis wasn’t able to talk in complete sentences.

Noctis kept thrusting their cocks together. 

“You’re…you’re not prepped.”

Noctis paused, blinking down at Ignis languidly. “Do we have anything for that?”

Ignis managed to point shakily at his bag. “Front pocket.”

Noctis raised an eyebrow. He gently released their lengths and slid off Ignis. Ignis whimpered at the loss of contact. Noctis walked over to Ignis’ bag and unzipped the front pocket. He pulled out a tube of lube and walked back to Ignis.

“You actually packed this? Were you planning on this?”

Ignis blushed. Noctis didn’t think he had ever seen Ignis turn so red.

“I was planning on giving it to you on your wedding night,” Ignis said. He thought he saw something inexplicable pass over Noct’s face. It was gone before Ignis could question it. 

Noctis leapt back onto the bed, crawling back onto Ignis’ lap. He handed Iggy the tube. “This is a better use,” he said softly, leaning forward and kissing him.

Ignis responded to the kiss, darting his tongue into Noct’s mouth. Noctis moaned into his mouth.

“You taste so good, Ignis,” Noctis muttered. Ignis held the tube between his hands, trying to warm it up even a little. 

Patience was not a strong suit of his at the moment. He unscrewed the lid and smeared his finger in the clear fluid. He placed his hands back on Noct’s ass and spread his cheeks again. 

Noctis gasped when Ignis’ finger pressed against his opening. “Shit, Iggy, that’s cold!”

“Sorry,” Ignis whispered, running his finger gently over Noct’s hole. 

“Somehow I doubt that,” Noctis said with a smirk. Ignis’ lips curled in a smile. Noctis pushed his ass back against Ignis’ hand again. “Please, Ignis.”

Ignis pressed against Noct’s opening. He closed his eyes as his finger pushed into Noct. It was perfect. 

He gently moved his finger around. Noctis was so tight around him. “Relax,” Ignis whispered. He tilted his head back and they kissed again. As Noctis deepened the kiss, his ass unclenched, allowing Ignis to drive his finger in up to his knuckles. 

“Ignis!” Noctis’ cock twitched.

Ignis curled his finger inside his prince. Noctis panted against his face, whispering his name over and over. He whimpered when Ignis pulled his finger out, added more lube to his hand, and pressed two fingers in.

Ignis’ own cock was rock hard. The feeling of Noct’s heat around his fingers was exquisite, and he could only imagine what it would feel like around his dick. 

Noctis rocked his hips back and forth, rubbing their lengths together as Ignis thrust his fingers into his puckered hole. They weren’t so much kissing anymore and just panting into each other’s mouths, tongues touching occasionally. 

“Want you, Ignis,” Noct growled. 

“Are you sure?”

“Gods, yes!” In for a gil, Noctis figured. 

Ignis scissored his fingers apart, spreading Noct’s hole wider. Noctis moaned. “Please, Ignis, please!”

Ignis pulled his fingers out of Noct. He grabbed Noctis by the ass and rocked him forward. He let go with one hand and grabbed the lube. Noctis lay sprawled across Ignis, panting as he watched Ignis cover his cock in lube. He felt Ignis spread more at his entrance. Gods, it was going to be such an amazing mess.

Ignis wrapped one hand around his cock and slowly guided Noctis down. Noctis buried his face in Ignis’ neck as he felt Ignis’ thick, hot, length press against his entrance. His hole stretched, and Noctis’ mouth fell open in a silent scream. 

Ignis groaned as he sank into Noctis’ heat. Noctis was so tight it was forcing Ignis to pull back out slightly. Noct pushed himself back down onto Ignis. 

Ignis felt Noct’s muscles contract around him, pulling him deeper. “Gods, Noct, you’re amazing.”

Ignis lifted his thighs, giving Noctis something to lean back on. The angle pushed him even deeper inside Noctis. Noctis wrapped one hand around his cock and started pumping in time to Ignis’ slow thrusts. 

“Faster, Ignis,” he moaned. 

Ignis complied. The only sounds in the room were their panting breaths, skin slapping together, and the wet slap of Noct’s hand on his own cock.

Noctis leaned forward, pressing his lips and teeth against the meat of Ignis’ right shoulder. It changed Ignis’ angle, and Noctis nearly screamed when the thick length of his advisor rubbed against his prostate.

Ignis paused, then started thrusting faster, stroking that spot every time. Noctis’ hand tightened around his dick. He wasn’t going to last much longer, not with Ignis rubbing that spot over and over. Ignis’ hands were clutching Noct’s thighs, guiding him down with each thrust. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Noctis’ cock. He could see a pearly bead of pre-come on the tip.

He grabbed Noctis’ hips, slamming into the prince. Noctis sank his teeth into Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis moaned. He was toeing the line between pleasure and pain; where the two mixed together. He wrapped one hand around Noctis’, stroking the prince’s weeping cock with him.

Ignis rotated his hips in a circle, rubbing Noct’s most sensitive area unrelentingly. Noct’s teeth clenched in Ignis’ shoulder. It felt so good. He wished he could scream Ignis’ name.

Noctis bit down after a particularly hard thrust from Ignis. His mouth was suddenly flooded with the coppery tang of Ignis’ blood. He drew back with a gasp.

“Gods, Ignis, I’m so sorry!”

Ignis paused. He hadn’t even felt it. Pain was pleasure at this point. He glanced down at his shoulder, watching a trail of blood dribble down his chest.

“I can get you a potion-“ Noctis started. 

“Don’t you dare,” Ignis growled. Noctis stared at him. He could taste Ignis’ blood on his lips, feel his cock buried deep in his ass. Noctis had never heard Ignis sound so positively animalistic and possessive.

“Ignis-“ Noctis tried again, but was silenced when Ignis thrust into him again. Ignis pulled him down and kissed him hard. His tongue dove into Noct’s mouth. He could taste his own blood on Noct’s lips. A distant part of his brain knew that his shoulder was going to hurt like a bitch the next morning, but he didn’t care.

Noctis had marked him. He said a silent prayer that the wound would scar. 

Ignis bit down on Noct’s lips, causing the prince to cry out. Ignis swallowed the cry and pulled back slightly. Noct could see blood on the corner of Ignis’ mouth. He leaned forward and kissed it away.

“It’s gotta hurt, Ignis.”

“Didn’t feel it,” Ignis said, rocking his hips. He didn’t want to talk about it. He wanted to finish fucking his prince. “Gladly wear your mark.”

Noctis felt a thrill go through him. He knew that Ignis had always belonged to him, but the thought that the man would have a scar for the rest of his life from this night…

His hand convulsed around his cock. He felt Ignis slam into his ass over and over and Noct felt fire spread through his body. It started at the base of his spine, ran into his balls, and he cried out as he came.

Ignis watched through heavily lidded eyes as the prince spilled thick ropes of seed across his chest. Noctis’ pearly strands mixed with the crimson of his blood across his chest.

Ignis’ thrusts were growing haphazard. 

“So close, Noct,” he panted.

Noctis managed to open his eyes. He wanted to watch Ignis. His green eyes were closed, face pinched in concentration. His hand continued to pump Noctis’ cock, milking the prince dry.

Ignis bit the inside of his lip to silence himself. His balls tightened, and his head fell back against the headboard as he emptied himself into the prince. 

Noctis felt Ignis fill him up. He moaned, leaning forward and kissing Ignis again. He clenched his ass, pulling everything out of his advisor’s dick. He pressed against Ignis’ chest, deepening the kiss. He felt his sticky seed and Ignis’ blood mix together.

Ignis lay back, pulling the prince with him. Noctis lay sprawled across Ignis’ chest. They were both breathing hard. Ignis brushed Noct’s bangs out of his eyes. 

“You are so beautiful,” Ignis murmured. Noctis blushed, but kissed him.

“So are you.” He could feel Ignis’ cock softening in his ass. He rested his head against Ignis’ left shoulder, and Ignis’ hands ran down his back, massaging him gently. 

“That was…” Noctis started.

“Perfect?”

Noctis lifted his head and looked at Ignis. The man actually looked a little unsure of himself.

“Yeah, absolutely perfect.” Noctis pressed a gentle kiss against Ignis’ mouth.

They lay there in silence for a while. Ignis felt his shoulder start throbbing. Ignis finally slipped out of Noct. Noctis could feel Ignis’ hot seed drip out of his loose hole.

“We should probably clean up,” Ignis said finally. He could feel Noct’s semen drying on their chests, and the tacky stickiness of his blood was starting to itch. And Shiva’s freezing tits his shoulder was really starting to hurt.

“Yeah.” Noctis didn’t move. Ignis smiled. 

“It’ll be much harder to clean off in the morning.”

“Alright, alright. We’re showering together.”

“Of course.”

Noctis peeled himself off of Ignis and sat on the edge of the bed. Ignis sat up and moved next to him. They sat side by side for a moment. Noctis reached over and intertwined their fingers. Ignis smiled at him and raised their linked hands to his lips.

Noctis stood up and smiled down at Ignis. “Give me a sec, ‘kay?”

Ignis nodded as Noctis walked to the bathroom. His eyes roamed over the prince. His cheeks flushed when his eyes landed on Noct’s ass. He could see his own seed dripping from Noct’s crack. 

A few minutes later, the toilet flushed and he heard the shower turn on. Noct stuck his head out.

“Get your pretty ass in here, Specs.”

Ignis smiled and stood up. His shoulder throbbed with each beat of his heart, but he felt no regrets. As he told Noctis, he was proud to wear his mark. 

He stepped into the shower behind Noct, the hot water spilling over both of them. He reached for the soap and a washcloth. He touched Noct’s arm and they silently shifted positions. Ignis stood directly under the spray, letting it fall against his shoulder. 

He squirted a glob of soap straight onto the bite wound, and used the washcloth to scrub it. He hissed in pain. He dug in deep, making it bleed anew.

“I’m sorry, Ignis,” Noctis whispered softly. Ignis glanced at him. 

“As I said, Noctis, I am not sorry that you bit me. It will hurt for a few days.”

“Seems like it hurts now,” Noctis pointed out, watching the water turn pink.

“While I am pleased to wear your mark, I do not want it to get infected.”

“I guess that would be pretty difficult to explain to the others.”

Ignis snorted, moving the washcloth away and letting the water clean the wound. He squirted more soap into his hands and motioned for Noct to step closer.

He moved his soapy hands over Noct’s body, gently scrubbing him clean. There was nothing sexual in Ignis’ touch, Noctis realized. He was simply comforting the prince. Ignis made sure Noct was clean, and then directed him under the spray. He watched the soap suds run down Noct’s body.

Noctis took the soap and repeated the process with Ignis. He gently scrubbed his dried seed from Ignis’ chest. Ignis watched him, a soft smile on his lips. 

After they were both clean, Noctis turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Silently, they dried each other. Noctis carefully never looked at the pants he had shoved all the way behind the toilet before calling Ignis into the bathroom. He absolutely refused to think of the ring, or Altissia, for the rest of the night.

He took Ignis’ hand and led the taller man to the bed he had slept in earlier that day. The other was way too messy to sleep in. Ignis crawled into the bed, and Noct turned off the lamp. He sank into the bed next to Ignis and curled around him. His head rested on Ignis’ chest, arm thrown over his waist and leg thrown over one of Ignis’.

Ignis started stroking his hair. It was almost a mirror of their position earlier in the day. 

“Hey, Iggy?” Noct said sleepily.

“Yes, Noct?”

“Thanks.” Noctis didn’t know how to say the rest. Thanks for forgiving me for something that hasn’t happened, thanks for the mind blowing sex.

“For what?”

Noct smiled, and pressed a kiss against Ignis’ heart.

“For being you.”

Noct felt Ignis’ lips ghost against his forehead, and he let sleep steal him away.


	6. Then-The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis discovers the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write. I hope I did them both justice. Thank you for all your kind comments and kudos. They are much loved. Let me know what you think of this chapter.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed. All mistakes mine.
> 
> And now it's 3 AM and I'm going to bed. Good night, all. Happy Ignoct dreams.

Then

Ignis woke slowly. His shoulder ached, and at first, he wondered why. His eyes opened, and his lips curled into a smile when he saw Noctis curled up next to him.

Oh yes, that’s why his shoulder ached. He stretched and dropped a kiss on Noct’s forehead. The prince mumbled and buried himself deeper under the blankets. 

Ignis had simply laid there for a while after Noctis had fallen asleep. He wanted to make sure his prince (his lover) wasn’t plagued by nightmares. Noctis’ warm weight against him finally lulled him to sleep.

It wasn’t quite dawn yet. He could see the sky was just starting to lighten, but true sunrise was still quite a ways off. Ignis gently shimmied out from under Noctis and stroked the raven hair.

Noctis seemed so peaceful. There was no sign of the distress Noctis had felt the day before. Ignis leaned back over and kissed Noct’s head. 

“I love you, Noctis,” he whispered. He stood up and glanced around. Everything was blurry.

Where were his glasses? Oh yes. He walked over to the small bedside table and picked up his glasses from where Noct had placed them the night before. He put them on and frowned as he looked around the room.

Gods, they had made quite the mess last night. His cheeks flamed as he looked at the empty bed. He could see spots of blood and other dried fluids. Their pants were strewn around the floor, and his jacket lay in a heap on the carpet at the end of the bed. 

He picked up his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. He had no regrets about what they had done. His shoulder was starting to throb again. He glanced down at the bite wound and poked it. It definitely hurt, but it didn’t feel warm, which was good. He really didn’t want it to get infected. There was some pretty extensive bruising around the wound. He stooped and picked up their pants, tossing them over the end of the Noct’s bed, and then his tank top.

He paused in the middle of the room and linked his hands above his head, stretching. He was still naked, and really had no desire to put any clothes on just yet. He had to pee.

Ignis walked into the bathroom and flipped the light on. He lifted the lid on the toilet and stood in front of it, relieving himself. He looked down and frowned.

Why in the hell were Noct’s pants shoved behind the toilet? He sighed, noticing Noctis’ shirt tucked behind the trash can. He finished, flushed the toilet and washed his hands. He grabbed a clean washcloth and stuck it under the faucet. Ignis scrubbed at the bite wound on his shoulder. Fresh blood welled slowly from the wound. 

Ignis knelt and dug through the drawers under the sink. There was a small first aid kit. He took out a small square pad and stuck it over the mark. He used the medical tape to secure it to his flesh. He didn’t want to get blood on his shirt.

He grabbed Noct’s shirt and pants and walked back out to the room.

The prince’s clothes would need washed. He went to drop them onto the chair when he heard something hit the carpet and bounce. He frowned, glancing down at the floor. Something had fallen out of Noct’s pants pocket. 

Ignis dropped the clothes in the chair and knelt, picking up the small object. He stood back up and opened his palm. It was a ring.

His first thought was that it was a gift for Lady Lunafreya, and for a brief moment, he felt a surge of jealously. Noct was his. He shook his head. No, Noctis wasn’t his. Did one night make the prince his? 

Something didn’t feel right about the ring being a gift for Lady Lunafreya. It was far too masculine for her. In fact, Ignis was sure he had seen the ring before.

A wordless cry tore from his lips. It was the Ring of the Lucii, and it was impossible that it was sitting innocently in his palm.

Ignis found himself on his knees, eyes locked on the ring in his hand. He didn’t remember falling to the ground. 

This wasn’t possible. 

This was not possible.

Lady Lunafreya had the ring, and she was still in Altissia. How, _how_ had Noctis come to have the ring in his possession? He hadn’t been away from any of them for long enough to get to Altissia and back, and why, _why_ wouldn’t he have said something?

Ignis seemed to be having a hard time catching his breath. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and feel it thumping crazily against his ribcage. 

This. Was. Not. Possible.

Ignis Scientia was a very logical man, and there was absolutely no logical way that Noctis could have the ring. They were going to Altissia to get the damn ring, and yet, here it was. 

Here it was.

He closed his eyes. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he was still curled up next to Noctis, having a strange dream. 

_“Ignis…please forgive me.”_

Ignis’ eyes flew open. Noct had asked for his forgiveness last night.

_“What do I need to forgive you for?” Ignis had asked._

_“My past and your future.”_

“My past and your future,” Ignis mouthed, staring at the ring. My past and your future, Noctis had said. 

Past.

Future.

“Gods in heaven, Noctis, what have you done?” Ignis whispered.

He thought about Noctis. He thought about how strange it was that it had seemed like Noct had lost a fair amount of weight, and looked like he hadn’t been sleeping. Because he knew that Noctis had slept well, and had been eating right.

Hadn’t he?

Ignis took a shuddering breath. Time travel wasn’t possible, was it? 

Ignis finally tore his gaze away from the ring to look at the sleeping prince. It was the only thing that made sense, wasn’t it?

Wasn’t it?

Ignis’ eyes burned. He felt tears roll down his cheeks. He felt his mind going blank. It was too much. Too much.

He looked back down at the ring. It was still there, and he could still feel its solid weight in his palm.

None of this could possibly be real. They were going to set out to Altissia in a little more than a week. 

The world narrowed down to the ring in his hand. Nothing else registered.

He knew what the ring meant. It meant that Noctis would die, because the ring stole the life from the kings.

He bowed his head over the ring and couldn’t stop the anguished cry that tore from his throat. 

He was going to lose Noctis to this ring, and in that moment, he hated it. He hated Regis, he hated the crystal, he hated Lucis, he hated Noctis, and he hated himself.

He knew what fate most likely awaited the chosen king, and Ignis hated himself for leading the one man he loved straight into the arms of his destiny. He couldn’t stop it. If he could take Noctis’ place, he would. 

But he was nothing. He meant nothing to the gods, to Lucis.

What would the gods want with him? 

FFXV

Noctis stirred. Something felt weird. Something wasn’t right. 

He reached out next to him, expecting to find Ignis, but only finding an empty bed. He heard a strange, horrified cry and he sat up, eyes darting around wildly. 

His heart sank. Ignis was curled in the middle of the floor, naked, with the Ring of the Lucii in his hand. The heart wrenching cry had come from Ignis.

Well, shit.

Noctis swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment. He didn’t want to do this. Gentiana was going to kill him. Slowly. 

He took a deep breath and stood up. He walked slowly over to Ignis and dropped to his knees in front of him. He stared at the ring in Ignis’ hand. It looked like it always did. It looked like an innocent piece of jewelry. 

They both knew better, but Ignis didn’t know what it had cost.

“How?” Ignis’ voice was rough. He wasn’t looking at Noctis. He couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from the ring.

Noctis sighed, and gently took Ignis’ hands and folded them over the ring. He didn’t let go. He swallowed. His voice fled.

“How is this here?” Ignis asked again, staring at their joined hands.

“Ignis…” Noctis whispered.

“How? Please, Noctis, please! I need…I need to understand.”

Noctis drew his thumb in circles over the back of Ignis’ hands. They were cold, he realized. 

“When did you get it from Lady Lunafreya? I thought…I thought…” he couldn’t finish.

Noctis squeezed his hands and sighed. “I got it from her in Altissia.”

Ignis’ eyes snapped up and locked with Noctis’. “We haven’t been to Altissia yet.”

Noctis closed his eyes and bowed his head. His eyes burned, and he felt the tears leak from his eyes. “Yes, we have. I have.”

Ignis stared at him. “How?” It seemed to be the only thing he could say. 

Noctis shrugged. He let the tears roll unchecked down his cheeks. He didn’t want to let go of Ignis’ hands. 

“Gentiana and Umbra let me come back.”

Ignis swallowed. “Why…what happened?”

Noctis shuddered. He didn’t want to talk about this. He wasn’t sure he could talk about this. Ignis watched him carefully. Whatever had happened in Altissia must’ve been awful.

“I…Gods, Ignis…it was my fault, all my fault.” He couldn’t stop the tears. His stomach clenched, and he leaned over, pressing his forehead to their hands.

Ignis disentangled the hand without the ring and gently touched Noctis’ head. 

“I doubt that, Noctis.”

“NO! It was my fault! I couldn’t stop it! I wasn’t strong enough! Luna…Ardyn, he…I’m going to kill him, Ignis. I’m going to kill him!”

Ignis could feel Noct’s tears falling on their hands. He felt a surge of anger. What had Ardyn done?

“What happened?” 

Noctis took a shuddering breath. “Everything was fine when we got there. Luna…Luna was there. It…Ignis, it was the first time I had seen her in twelve years, and we didn’t even get to talk.” It seemed like now that he had started talking, he couldn’t stop.

“The Empire showed up. You, Gladio, and Prompto were evacuating the civilians. Luna summoned Leviathan. The Hydrean…”

“I’m guessing she wasn’t as…agreeable…to the covenant as Ramuh?”

Noctis gave a strangled laugh. “That’s one way to put it. We fought. She…would’ve killed me.”

He was shaking. He didn’t want to do this. He had come back to escape what happened, and now he was reliving it all over again. 

“Please, Ignis, please,” he sobbed. 

“Talk to me, Noctis. You can do this.”

“No I can’t! Don’t you get it, Ignis? That’s why I’m here! Gladio was right! I’m no king. I’m nothing but a coward. I ran away.”

Ignis dropped the ring and grabbed Noct’s chin in his hand, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You are not a coward, Noctis.”

“But I am, I am! I can’t wear the ring, Ignis, I can’t! The cost, the cost is too much!”

Ignis stared at him. “You have always known what the ring would take from you,” he whispered. He hated himself for saying that.

“That’s not why,” Noctis whispered, staring into Ignis’ eyes. His beautiful eyes. 

“Tell me.”

“Luna’s dead.”

Ignis’ eyes widened behind his glasses. 

“Ardyn stabbed her, and she gave her life so I could do my duty and claim what’s rightfully mine,” Noctis’ voice was listless. “And you…”

Ignis’ heart was in his throat. Noctis saw him swallow painfully. “I die?”

Noctis shook his head. He reached out a trembling hand and caressed Ignis’ left temple. “You’re blinded.”

Ignis rocked back, eyes wide. His eyes darted around the room. He closed his eyes, and then opened them immediately. He didn’t want to close his eyes. He didn’t want to be in the dark. He didn’t want to lose his sight!

Noctis’ behavior the past day suddenly made sense; caressing his face at every opportunity, freaking out when Gladio offered to drive, asking for forgiveness.

“Blinded?” Ignis’ voice was remarkably steady.

Noctis nodded, fingers dancing over his temple. “I don’t…I don’t know how. When I came to afterwards…Gods, Ignis…”

“Why…why did you come back to this time? Are you trying to change it?”

“Gentiana said I can’t change anything. It happened. It’s over. It’s done. I came back to apologize to you. I wanted…needed to see you. Gladio’s hardly let me near you since Altissia. It’s been weeks…and I just couldn’t do it anymore, Iggy. Gentiana and Umbra gave me the option to come back. I took it.”

Ignis bowed his head. He was going to lose his sight. He would never be able to watch the sunrise, drive the car. Stars in heaven, he would never see Noctis again. 

His thumb caressed Noctis’ cheek. His eyes roved over the prince’s face, trying to memorize his features. He could only imagine what the other him was going through. He didn’t want to imagine it. It was…death would be a mercy.

“You have to go back.” 

Noct’s eyes widened. He pulled back slightly. “What?”

“Noctis,” he said softly, “you did what you came back to do. I forgive you. I assure you, I will not blame you for what happened.”

He picked the Ring of the Lucii back up and pressed it into Noctis’ palm. “I believe in you, Noctis. And…I hope to be there for you, no matter what. I love you and being blind…” he choked, blinking back tears, “being blind won’t change that.”

Noct’s hand closed around the ring. He looked at his fist, then back up at Ignis. “I…I’m afraid, Ignis.”

Ignis pressed his forehead against Noctis’. “I know. So am I. I’m afraid every day, Noctis. I’m afraid that I will lose you. I’m afraid we’ll all lose to the Empire. Most of all, I’m afraid to be alone…after the end.”

He didn’t have to say what the end was. They both knew. 

“You won’t be, Ignis. Because I’ll be waiting for you. Or you’ll be waiting for me. When…Ignis…when the world falls down around you, and hope is lost, when you find yourself alone amid a lightless place, look…” Noctis swallowed. “Turn towards the distance, and know that I will be there.”

Ignis felt tears well in his eyes. 

“Love,” Ignis whispered. “You said…you said love is the only thing that follows us after death.”

“Always love, Ignis.”

“I wish I could spirit you away to some far off country. We could watch the stars. You could fish, I could cook. I would take you away from all this if I could.”

“I know, Ignis. I wish…I wish I had kissed you sooner. Years ago. We could’ve had so much time.”

“We can’t have regrets, Noctis. We…you have to move forward. You can’t look back anymore, because you can’t change the past. You must learn from it. Just know that even if I can’t see, I am there for you…if you’ll allow me to be.”

“I love you, Ignis. Nothing could change that.”

Ignis realized that he hadn’t said that he would allow Ignis to be there. He felt a thrill of terror. Had they already left him behind somewhere? Was he slowing them down too much?

No, he wouldn’t think of it. He couldn’t think of it. He couldn’t change it. He had to accept it. 

They sat, foreheads pressed together, the ring in Noctis’ hand resting on his thighs. They were both crying silent tears. The sun had risen, and light filtered into the room, casting a warm yellow glow over everything.

After what felt like an eternity, Ignis pressed his lips against Noct’s forehead. “We should get dressed before the others come looking for us.” He stood up and held his hand out to Noctis. Noctis took his hand and Ignis pulled him to his feet.

“I don’t think the others should know,” Ignis said softly. 

Noctis shook his head. “No. I think that would be bad.”

Ignis reached out and pulled Noctis against him. He held him tightly against him. Noct’s hand was trapped between their bodies, the ring pressing into his skin. Noctis wrapped his other arm around Ignis. They held each other, trying to block out everything, at least for a short period of time.

Noctis pressed a kiss against the bandage on Ignis’ shoulder and stepped back. They silently went to their bags and pulled out clean clothes. Noctis put on a clean pair of pants and tucked the ring away carefully in the pocket. Ignis handed him a shirt and walked back into the bathroom.

Ignis felt weird. He quickly styled his hair, gritting his teeth against the sudden pain in his shoulder when he lifted it. He stared at himself in the mirror. What did he look like after Altissia?

Noctis said he was blinded, but he hadn’t known what had happened. Did he have scars? Did he still have eyes?

“You can’t think of it, Ignis,” he told himself. “It is over, done, and there is nothing that can change it. Be thankful for the gift you were given last night.”

He walked out of the bathroom as Noct walked in. Noctis squeezed his hand as they passed each other. 

Ignis sat on the bed they had shared and put his head in his hands. He felt ill. He lifted his head and stood up, walking slowly around the room. He looked at the pictures on the wall. He had never appreciated them before. They weren’t as good as Prompto’s, but they weren’t bad. 

They were colorful. He was going to miss colors. He was going to miss the sunrise, and the stars. He was going to miss driving.

He was going to miss Prompto’s ready smile and even Gladio’s scarred face.

He was going to miss Noctis. 

He turned when he heard the bathroom door open. Noctis stood there. He looked tired again. His hair was styled in his usual fashion, and his eyes looked haunted. Ignis simply stared at him for a moment, taking in the beauty of his prince; the halo of his hair, the paleness of his cheeks, his blue eyes.

“Are you ready?” Ignis whispered.

Noctis looked up at him in shock. “N..Now?”

Ignis bowed his head slightly. “I…I think the longer you stay here the harder it will be for you to return.”

Noctis sniffed, dashing away tears. “Why do you always have to be right, Specs?”

Ignis smiled tightly. “It’s my job as your advisor.” He walked forward and kissed Noctis on the forehead. “I will leave the room to give you time.”

Noctis nodded, not looking at him. Ignis stepped away and walked towards the door. Those ten steps were the hardest steps he had ever taken. 

He paused at the door and faced Noctis. “I would say I’ll see you later, but I won’t.”

Noctis stared at him in shock. “How can you say that to me? It’s my fault you’re hurt and blinded!”

Noctis spun away from him, suddenly angry. How could he say that? How could he make light of what happened?

Ignis crossed the room in three strides and crushed Noctis to him. “Do you wield the weapon that blinds me?”

“What?” Noctis snarled.

Ignis spun the prince to face him. “Does your hand wield the weapon that blinds me?”

“No!” Noctis said, horrified. 

“Then it is not your fault, Noctis! A small sacrifice in the greater battle.”

Noctis started. Ignis had said those exact words to him in Altissia. Ignis wrapped his arms around Noctis, resting his cheek on the top of Noctis’ head.

“Listen to me, Noctis,” Ignis whispered. Noctis raised his hands and grasped the lapels of Ignis’ jacket. He could feel Ignis’ heat sinking into his skin. “Are you listening?”

“Yes, Ignis.”

“Luna’s death and my injury, they mean nothing in the scheme of things. Our job is to help you succeed. To get you to the end. You are the light in the darkness, Noctis. You are the only one who can turn back the night. Luna knew that. I know that. You guide all of us with your light. You are the hope of the people.”

He thought he heard the door open. He ignored whoever it was. They didn’t matter. He had to get this through Noctis’ head. 

“You aren’t alone. We cannot bear the burden for you, but we can try to make it easier for you to bear. I will gladly lose my sight if it means your success. I would die for you. Gladio would die for you. Prompto would die for you.”

“Ignis, how can I be a light to the people if I can’t find my way out of the dark?”

Ignis lifted his head and cupped Noctis’ cheek. “You said it yourself. Look to the distance, and know that we are there for you. I am there for you.”

“Ignis…what about you?”

Ignis smiled sadly. “What do you mean?”

“You’re…you’re different…after Altissia. I can’t…it’s hard.”

“If I know me, and I’m pretty sure I know myself fairly well by now,” Noctis snorted at the sheer absurdity of Ignis’ statement. Ignis smiled down at him.

“I am hurting, Noctis. I am hurting deeply, but I am hiding it. I have to be strong for you, all of you. I will…probably be close to breaking and hiding it. Don’t let me.”

Noctis tightened his hands on Ignis’ lapels. “You’ve always been the strong one, Ignis.”

Ignis nodded slowly. “That’s why I probably won’t let anyone in. I will feel like I failed. I will blame myself for Luna’s death, for your pain. And then I will bury it. I won’t let it out, and it will eat at me like a cancer until I break.”

“Gladio won’t let me be alone with you.”

“You are the king, Noctis. He is your shield. If he continues to be an ass, order him. Be the king I know you are. Make him decide if he truly wants to be your shield, with all that it means and entails.”

Noctis nodded. “I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Ignis swallowed. “Noct?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t leave me behind.”

Noctis looked up at him in shock. “What?”

“Promise me that you won’t leave me behind. I…I know I will be a burden, but please, don’t leave me.” Ignis’ voice was shaking. His fingers brushed Noctis’ cheeks, dashing away tears.

“I won’t, Ignis. I can’t do this without you.”

Ignis nodded shakily. “Thank you.” He tilted Noct’s head back and pressed his lips against the prince’s. Noctis leaned into the kiss. It was gentle, and sad, and tasted of bittersweet tears.

“I love you,” Ignis whispered against his lips. “From now until eternity, and whatever waits beyond.”

“I love you, Ignis.”

Ignis stepped back from him, his eyes sad. He turned and paused.

"Will I remember this?"

Noctis looked at him. "I don't know. I hope so."

Ignis bowed his head. "As do I."

Prompto stood in the doorway, eyes wide. Ignis stepped forward and gently steered Prompto from the room.

“We’ll give you a few minutes, highness.”

Noctis nodded, but didn’t say anything. Ignis closed the door with a snap.

FFXV

A few minutes earlier…

Prompto looked at Gladio. “You think I should see if they’re awake?”

“Less of a chance that Ignis will murder you, so yeah, go for it.”

Prompto rolled his eyes and stood up. He wanted everything to go back to normal, back to the way things were before Gladio had left. Maybe Altissia would bring them all back together! That would be grand. 

Prompto opened the door to Ignis’ and Noctis’ room. He opened his mouth to call to them and froze. 

Ignis and Noctis stood in the center of the room. Ignis had one arm around Noct’s waist and the other was cupping his cheek. Noctis was clinging to the lapels of Ignis’ jacket. They were both crying.

Prompto could see Ignis talking, but he couldn’t make out the words. They had to know he was standing here, but they ignored him. The only thing that seemed to matter to them was each other.

Prompto eyes widened when Ignis lowered his head and kissed Noctis on the lips. Prompto felt his heart twist. It was most gentle, heartfelt kiss he had ever seen.

He could read Noct’s lips when he told Ignis that he loved him. Prompto felt like crying, and he wasn’t sure why. What had happened? What had put that heartbroken look on both their faces?

He looked up at Ignis as the man guided him from the room. Ignis stopped at the door.

“We’ll give you a few minutes, highness.” He closed the door gently behind them. 

Prompto swallowed. Ignis looked…empty, devastated. 

“Ignis?” Prompto whispered. “Is everything alright?”

Ignis looked at Prompto. He took in Prompto’s blond hair, the freckles across his nose, his expressive blue eyes. He would never be able to look upon Prompto’s laughing face again. He would miss that.

Prompto was shocked when Ignis suddenly pulled him against him in a one armed hug. Ignis had never been one for casual touching.

Ignis squeezed him gently and let him go. “Everything is fine. Is there Ebony brewing?” He walked to the kitchen.

Gladio was watching them, confused. He hadn’t seen what had happened in the room, but he could tell that something had happened. Ignis looked drained.

“Ignis?” he asked.

Ignis turned and looked at Gladio. Gladio was taken aback. It looked like Ignis had been crying. 

“Yes, Gladio?”

“Everything going to be okay?”

Ignis paused, taking a sip of coffee. He walked forward and dropped his hand on Gladio’s shoulder. He squeezed it. He would never take these men for granted again. He wanted to memorize their faces. He didn’t want to lose them. He didn’t want to forget what they looked like.

“Everything will work out the way it should, Gladio. We just need to give it some time.”

Gladio and Prompto traded glances. What had happened? What did Ignis mean?

There was a scratching at the door. Ignis walked over to it and opened it. 

“Ah, Umbra. Hello.”

Umbra trotted into the room and sat before Ignis. Ignis reached down and stroked the dog’s head. His stomach was knotted. He knew why Umbra was here.

“He’s waiting for you. Come with me.” Ignis led the dog across the room. Prompto and Gladio were silent. 

Ignis opened the door to Noct’s room and Umbra leaned against Ignis’ leg before darting into the room. Ignis stared into the room, fisted his hand over his heart, and bowed. He shut the door again and turned back to the others.

“Noctis will be along in a bit. Let’s go get breakfast.”

“What’s going on, Iggy?” Gladio asked. “Something’s off.”

Ignis smiled tiredly at him. “I assure you, everything will happen as it is supposed to.”

“That makes like, no sense,” Prompto said. Gladio nodded. Ignis put his hand on Gladio’s arm. He was going to have to get used to touching them more often. He was going to need their help to get around.

“Everything will be fine. Trust in that.” Ignis sighed and took another sip of his coffee. “Come, we must give Noctis some time.”

He led the other two from the hotel. He paused, staring up at the cloud strewn sky.

He would miss this.

FFXV

Noctis stumbled to the bed after Ignis shut the door. He wiped his eyes. He sat there. He needed Umbra.

Umbra. 

He closed his eyes, thinking of the messenger dog. 

He glanced up when the door opened again. Ignis stood framed in the door, Umbra at his feet. Noctis watched as Umbra leaned against Ignis’ long legs. He felt his eyes well with tears when Ignis saluted him.

The door shut again, leaving him and Umbra alone.

He was afraid to go back. He couldn’t stay here. He pulled the ring out of his pocket and looked at it.

“I know I haven’t been doing very well lately, Dad. But I’m going to try to better. I’m going to walk tall. I hope…I hope one day you can be proud of me.” He stuck the ring back in his pocket and looked at Umbra.

“Take me back.”

He stared into Umbra’s eyes. Everything narrowed down to Umbra. The hotel room faded away, colors swirled around him. He felt like he slipped off the bed, and everything went dark.


	7. Now-The Breaking of Ignis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis shatters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This chapter was hard to write. It got super dark. It got way darker than I expected. This is an Ignis centric chapter. It deals with his feelings after Altissia. Some warnings: self harm, mentions suicide, attempted suicide (kind of). I apparently like torturing Ignis, because good lord do I torture the poor man in this chapter. Ignis might seem out of character, but seriously, the man had to break. So I broke him. 
> 
> God damn, I have issues. Let me know what you think! 
> 
> I need to stop staying up til 3 writing these things. They don't make for happy Ignoct dreams.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed all mistakes mine (And I'm sure there's some, it is 3 in freaking morning. Go to bed jackass, I tell myself. I'm almost finished, I say! That's what you said two hours ago, stupid! SHUT UP!)

Now

Ignis woke as he had every time since Altissia; in a sheer panic. 

He still dreamed in color, and being wrenched from his dreams to be dropped back into a world of darkness was…

Horrible. Unfair.

He flailed around his bed for a moment, finally wrenching himself to a sitting position. His heart thundered in his chest, his lungs constricted. It had been like this every morning. He shoved his fist into his mouth and bit down on his knuckles to silence the wail that wanted to break free. 

His knuckles were raw and scarred. Waking up had been a nightmare since Altissia. He couldn’t seem to sleep at normal times. He didn’t know what time it was. It was always dark.

And when he did sleep…he woke up screaming.

The first time Gladio had burst into the room, and Ignis had nearly stabbed him in panic when Gladio had grabbed his shoulders to wake him up.

Gladio hadn’t realized that Ignis had already been awake. 

After that, Gladio slept in the same room as Ignis. It was oppressive. Ignis wanted to be alone with his misery, didn’t Gladio get that?

It was his fault. Lady Lunafreya’s death, Noctis’ pain, and his own blinding. It was his fault. Gladio blamed Noctis. Noctis blamed himself. 

His mouth flooded with the taste of his own blood. As always, his lungs opened and his heartrate slowed as soon as he tasted it. He took a shuddering breath and slowly dropped his fist, cradling it in his other hand.

His eyes hurt. They always hurt. 

The doctors had told him to keep his eyes closed. They said it might help his vision return. They had recommended a blindfold. He told them no. Potions hadn’t worked. Nothing had worked. 

He listened intently. He could hear Gladio breathing evenly across the small train compartment. Prompto and Noctis were next door. Gladio hadn’t let Ignis be alone with Noctis since the day the prince had woken up the first time after Altissia.

Gladio had been so angry that Ignis had slipped away that day. Ignis needed to be in the same room as Noctis. He wanted to be there when the prince woke up.

There was a part of him that hoped that when Noctis woke up, Ignis would be able to see again. He had heard Noctis wake up, and had still felt the crushing weight of darkness. He was still blind. He couldn’t see Noctis. He brushed away Noctis’ concern and stumbled from the room.

Gladio had been livid. Ignis didn’t care. Ignis didn’t care about much anymore.

He felt…distant. It was like he wasn’t even in his body anymore. It was hard to care. He couldn’t see. He was in pain all the time, and nothing seemed to help. It was hard to care through the pain.

It was like a fire constantly burning behind his eyes, a fire that nothing could quench. Ignis had always been good at compartmentalizing, and he figured that was the only thing that had kept him sane this long.

The edges were starting to fray. It was getting harder to pretend to be strong in front of the others. With Gladio and Prompto constantly hovering, and Noctis walling himself off, Ignis had never felt so alone.

He couldn’t see them. It was almost like…Ignis didn’t exist on the same level as them anymore. He was constantly trying to keep up with them, calling out to them. He was alone.

He would always be alone.

Ignis felt useless. He couldn’t cook. He could barely care for himself on his own. He could hardly walk from one end of the train car to the other without running into something or someone.

He was ashamed. 

If he stood up too quickly, he tended to lose his balance, the world swaying alarmingly beneath his feet. Without a point of reference, he was like a ship lost at sea.

He could hear the whispers of the other passengers on the train. Children were afraid of him. 

“Look at the scary man, Mommy. What happened to his face?” It hurt. Ignis had never been a horribly vain man, but he knew he was handsome, and he cared about his appearance. He wondered what he looked like now.

If he was truly honest with himself, he didn’t want to know.

The children weren’t the only ones whispering.

He had overheard Gladio and Prompto talking a week ago (was it a week ago? It was so hard to tell the passing of time now). He had been making his way slowly back to the dining car when he passed the compartment he shared with Gladio. The door had been open a crack. His other senses were already much more acute than they had been. Gladio’s voice had stopped him cold.

“We have to leave him.”

“What?” Prompto said, his voice rising.

“Quiet!” Gladio hissed. “Have you looked at him lately?”

Ignis was confused. They were talking about Noctis, weren’t they? His hand clenched around the head of his cane. Even then, he knew they weren’t talking about the prince. He simply lied to himself.

“He was hurt, Gladio. We have to give him time.”

“It’s been weeks, Prompto. I want Ignis to get his sight back as much as he does, but there’s been no improvement.”

Ignis had nearly collapsed. They were talking about leaving him behind.

“We can’t leave him.”

“We’re going straight into the heart of the Empire. We can’t be worried about dragging a blind man along with us.”

Ignis’ eyes burned behind his eyelids. That’s all he was now, a blind man.

“I can’t believe you said that,” Prompto said softly. “I can’t believe you would leave him behind.”

“My job is to protect Noctis. It’s hard enough to do without having to worry about protecting Ignis too. We don’t even know if he can fight anymore.”

“Have you talked to Noctis about this?”

“You know I haven’t. Noctis isn’t exactly in a great place himself. I’m hoping stopping at the tomb in Cartanica will snap him out of his moping.”

“Gods, you can be such a dick, Gladio.”

“Hey!” 

They were silent for a moment. Ignis couldn’t catch his breath. He took great, gulping breaths. 

They wanted to leave him.

“I think it’s a bad idea,” Prompto said suddenly. Ignis focused on his voice.

“What?”

“Leaving Ignis. I don’t think we should, and I don’t think you should mention it to Noct.”

“Why not?”

Prompto sighed. “Because I think if we left Ignis behind, Noctis would hate you forever and Ignis…Ignis would die.”

Gladio didn’t say anything for a moment. “Why do you think Ignis would die?” 

Ignis found it interesting that he didn’t deny that Noctis would hate him. 

“Because Noctis is everything to Ignis. I think the only reason Ignis hasn’t…I think the only reason Ignis is still here is because of the pain it would put Noct through if he died.”

Ignis leaned against the window. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Prompto was smarter than he seemed. Because Prompto had been right.

Two weeks after Altissia, on the train, he thought about ending it all. He held his daggers in his hands and thought about driving the blade into his chest. He knew how to kill a man, and killing himself would be easy.

Then he thought about Noctis, and he couldn’t do it. 

Two days later, he sliced a diagonal cut across the meat of his thigh. Pain in a different part of his body seemed to make the pain behind his eyes lessen. 

He started cutting himself. He always made sure it was in a place the others wouldn’t see; his legs, his chest, wherever he could reach on his back.

The pain made him real. The pain made him focus. The pain made him matter.

Sometimes, he considered poisoning the blades. He was never strong enough.

Ignis had walked away from Gladio and Prompto as fast as he could. He hid in the tiny bathroom. Prompto was right.

If they left him behind, he would kill himself. He would sit on a bench where the sun would warm his face. He would try to remember the sunrise. He would remember Noct’s face, and then he would drive the blade into his heart.

Maybe they would come back for him. Maybe Gladio would be the one to find him, slumped over on the bench. There wouldn’t be much blood, because the blade would stopper the wound. Maybe they would think he was sleeping, and Gladio would put his hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently to rouse him.

His body would fall sideways and they would see the dagger. They would know it was their fault. 

Part of him liked that thought. He wanted them to hurt like he was hurting. Maybe his death would do that.

Or maybe they would continue on, and it would be some stranger that found his body. He would just be a nameless body, in an anonymous grave. The others would never know.

They wouldn’t care. He was a broken man. He only slowed them down.

Ignis’ took a deep breath, tearing himself out of that line of thought. He didn’t want to remember that conversation. 

His shoulder ached. Had he slept wrong?

He rolled his neck. He ghosted his hand over his bloody knuckles. The blood was already tacky. That was good. He would put his gloves on and nobody would be any wiser to what he had done.

He listened to Gladio’s breathing and felt another wave of anger. He hated Gladio a little bit in that moment. It was completely irrational, and he knew that, but he didn’t care. Anger and hatred were easy.

What in the hell was wrong with his right shoulder? 

He reached up his uninjured hand and pulled the collar of his sleep shirt aside. His fingers felt around for a moment, and then he froze.

There was a strange scar on his shoulder. His lungs started to constrict again. He didn’t remember getting it. What was it from? Not from Altissia, it didn’t feel right. It was too old.

He traced it with his fingers. It…it seemed to be a bite mark.

With a cry, he fell back, shoving his fist back into his mouth to silence his screams. He could almost see Noctis above him, mouth open in rapture. He could almost feel his cock buried deep inside Noctis. He could almost feel Noctis’ teeth come together in the meat of his shoulder. He could almost see Noctis coming; he could feel the prince’s hot seed mixing with his blood on his chest. 

He tasted his own blood. It didn’t seem to be calming him down this time.

None…none of that happened, right? He would remember that. Wouldn’t he?

More memories (dreams? He didn’t know) rushed through his mind. It was almost like he was watching it happen to someone else. Like watching someone else’s dream through a sheet of ice.

He was holding Noctis, telling him he loved him. Noctis told him the same.

Ignis breathed though the blood in his mouth. Had that been real? He thought he remembered (dreamed?) about Umbra.

Umbra.

Was it possible? 

Ignis managed to finally slow his breathing. He needed to talk to Noctis. He needed…he needed…he took a deep breath and dropped his hand from his mouth. He sat up again, slowly. He did not want Gladio to wake up. Thankfully, the man was a heavy sleeper. 

Ignis’ hands fluttered around the end of the bed. His fingers brushed the thin frames of his glasses. He held them in his hands. 

It wasn’t like he needed them anymore. Sure, the doctors had said the dark lenses could help, but he knew the real reason they wanted him to wear them.

It shielded other people from the scars. They didn’t have to look at them and see it. The glasses hid them. 

He unfolded the frames and gently put them on. The weight was still comforting, even if it made the bridge of his nose hurt. No one had asked if wearing the glasses hurt. They just told him to wear the glasses.

He used the corner of his shirt to wipe the blood from his knuckles. He had to talk to Noctis, now. He wasn’t going to waste time putting on his gloves. He reached out and grasped the edge of the bed. He stood up slowly, giving himself a moment to orient himself.

He moved slowly, fingers brushing the wall. He left the cane. He was just walking to the next room. He didn’t need the fucking thing for that. His hand reached the door, and he felt around until he touched the handle. He slid the door open as quietly as possible. It seemed incredibly loud to him.

Gladio still didn’t wake. Ignis slid the door shut and leaned against the wall. He hurt. He gasped slightly as he straightened up, his hand still on the wall. Prompto and Noctis were one room to the right of his. When they had first gotten on the train, Ignis had made sure he could make his way to both rooms without assistance. 

His hand touched the door, and he searched for the handle. He gave a frustrated moan when he couldn’t find it at first. Finally, his hand collided with the handle. He bit back a strangled yelp. He shouldn’t have been using his injured hand to feel his way around. He was probably bleeding again.

He pulled open the door, not trying to be quiet.

Prompto sat up when he heard the door open. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Ignis stood framed in the door. He looked awful. Prompto swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Ignis?”

Ignis started. “Prompto. I…I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll…let you sleep.” Ignis was suddenly afraid.

“Wait, Ignis.” Prompto jumped out of his bed and gently touched Ignis’ side. “What’s up?”

“I needed to see-“ he cut himself off with a horrible laugh. It raised the hair on Prompto’s neck. 

“Stupid, so stupid, Ignis,” Ignis muttered to himself. “You can’t see.” He was starting to breathe fast again.

“Ignis!” Prompto said. “Calm down. Talk to me.”

“I needed to…know Noctis was there.” Ignis voice was soft, desperate. Prompto had never heard him sound like that before. 

Prompto guided Ignis to his bed. “Here,” he said, sitting the taller man down, “I’ll go stay in your bed. Noctis is in the other bed. Are…are you going to be okay?”

“Yes. I’ll…I’ll be fine. Thank you, Prompto.” 

Prompto squeezed his shoulder. Ignis flinched slightly. Prompto had touched the bite scar. Prompto tried not feel slighted by Ignis’ flinch. He walked out of the room and slid the door shut.

Ignis sat there, listening to Noctis’ soft breathing. He had to touch him. He had to feel the heat of his skin and know that he was real. 

Ignis lurched to his feet and took a step. His foot caught on what he was sure was a frayed piece of carpet, or clothing, or what he didn’t know. He went down hard.

His glasses slipped from his face and hit the ground. He thought he heard one of the lenses crack. He was on his hands and knees. He felt around the floor, his breathing rapid. He was close to tears. 

He didn’t want to cry. Crying hurt. Crying made the fire behind his eyes rage.

His fingers finally found the glasses. His thumb brushed over the lenses. One of them was cracked. It shouldn’t have broken that easily. Glasses actually weren’t that easy to break. They had withstood so much. Behemoth attacks, the Titan, dungeons. Maybe the dark lenses were a different kind of glass. He didn’t know.

All it took to break them was a fall. 

They were cracked.

They were broken.

Just like him. 

Ignis’ hand convulsed, his fist tightening around his glasses. He heard the glass break, and felt the glass drive into his palm. 

With a strangled cry, he threw the glasses at the wall. He heard them hit. He curled in on himself, slamming his fists into the floor. 

Broken. 

Shattered.

Useless.

He could feel his blood flowing over his palms. He could feel the glass slicing into his skin.

His eyes burned. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks. It hurt. 

Pain. Pain meant he was alive.

He didn’t want to be alive. He wished he had died in Altissia. He wished he had been brave enough to end it himself. He wished he had died in the attack that had killed his parents and sent him to Insomnia with his uncle.

He wanted to be numb. He didn’t want to feel anymore. He could hardly remember why he had come in here. What did it matter if he had made love to Noctis or not? It was nothing but a pain induced dream.

He was broken. Useless. 

He couldn’t do it anymore. He was so tired. He was tired of the arguments the others were having. He was tired of hurting.

He didn’t want to hurt anymore. 

Lunafreya was lucky. Regis was lucky. They didn’t hurt anymore. They were free.

He pushed himself to sitting position. He leaned back against Prompto’s bed. He took shaky, shuddering breaths. Everything hurt. 

It wasn’t fair. 

He wanted to see again. He wanted to stop hurting.

He could do one of the two.

It was hard to pull the dagger from the armory. He was trembling. He caressed the blade. It was sharp.

He tilted his head back.

“I’m sorry, Noctis,” he whispered. “You’ll…you’ll be better off. I can’t…I can’t…Noctis…” he was sobbing. 

He wanted to stop. Crying hurt so much. It was like someone was driving a knife through his eyes into his skull. It was like reliving the pain of Altissia over and over. He could never forget. The pain wouldn’t let him.

He pressed the blade against his arm.

The first cut was shallow. It didn’t hurt.

The second cut was deeper. He felt the blood well up. Still not enough pain.

He wanted to be numb.

FFXV

Noctis woke with a start. He was confused. Where was he?

He remembered…

He had gone back. He had apologized to Ignis. He had made love to Ignis. He had come back.

He was in the train. After Altissia. Ignis was blind.

Ignis. He thought about what Ignis had said. He said that he was hurting. Noctis understood pain. He swallowed back tears. Always more tears.

What had woken him up?

He could hear someone in the room with him, crying. He thought it was Prompto. He reached over and turned on the lamp.

It wasn’t Prompto.

Ignis was sitting on the floor, leaning against the other bed. He had blood running down his cheeks. His right hand was covered in blood. His left hand clutched his dagger, and he was drawing it repeatedly over the muscle of his right arm. Each cut was deeper than the last. 

“Ignis!” Noctis threw himself from the bed and wrenched the blade from Ignis’ hand. He pressed his hands over the wounds on Ignis’ arm. Ignis struggled, trying to get away from him.

“Don’t touch me! Just leave me be! I’m broken! Let me go!”

“Don’t talk like that, Iggy!” Noctis was panicked. He hadn’t expected this. He felt horrible. He hadn’t realized Ignis had been hurting this much. He had been so blinded by his own pain that he couldn’t see Ignis’. 

He could feel Ignis’ hot blood welling under his hand. There was a lot of blood. He reached into himself and pulled from his magic, willing the fresh wounds to heal.

Ignis froze when he felt Noctis’ magic wrap around him. “No, no, don’t waste it on me.”

“It’s not a waste, Ignis,” Noctis said roughly. He was having a hard time comparing this Ignis to the one he had just left. That Ignis had been strong. But Noctis knew…that Ignis hadn’t been hurt yet.

Ignis started to struggle again. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He wanted to be numb. He wanted the knife back.

“Ignis, Ignis, please, calm down. Ignis. Listen to me. Please stop,” Noctis whispered. Noctis grabbed Ignis’ hands. Ignis tried to yank his hands back. Noctis didn’t let go. He flipped Ignis’ hands over and saw glass embedded in the other man’s palms. 

Noctis began picking the glass from his hands. Ignis sat there, unmoving. 

“What’s the glass from?” Noctis asked, trying to sound normal.

“Glasses,” Ignis panted. Noctis froze. It hadn’t even registered that Ignis wasn’t wearing his glasses. His eyes moved to Ignis’ face. It was the first time he had seen him without the glasses since Altissia. 

The wound over his left eye and temple was ugly. A deep red, it seemed to have nearly fused his left eye shut. It ran over his eye in streaks, like a river running over stones. His right eyebrow was bisected, the wound just as red and raw as the one over his left eye. He had a slice across the bridge of his nose, and another one his lower lip.

Noctis couldn’t tear his gaze away from Ignis’ right eye. The beautiful green was gone. His iris was stone grey, with tiny flecks of green still visible. It reminded Noctis of a rock with moss on it. The whites of his eye were blood red. 

Ignis was crying blood. He heard Noctis’ sudden intake of breath, and he turned his head. He was ugly. 

“Don’t look at me, Highness, please.” Ignis’ voice was rough, cracked. 

Noctis cupped his cheek and turned his head back to him. Ignis tried to duck away.

“You lied to Prompto yesterday.” Noctis said softly.

Ignis had not expected him to say that. “I…I don’t know what you mean.”

“You said your wounds had healed. Your eyes aren’t healed, are they?”

Ignis whimpered and closed his eyes. He knew they would never heal.

“How much pain are you in, Ignis?” Noctis rubbed his thumb on Ignis’ cheek, smearing the bloody tears against his pale skin.

“I…it doesn’t matter, Highness. I will be fine.”

“Ignis…” Noctis sighed, stroking Ignis’ bloody hands. “A wise man told me something about you. He said that you were hurting, and you were hiding it. He said that you were blaming yourself for Altissia, for Luna, for the pain I feel.”

Ignis went completely still. Noctis wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. “He said you were close to breaking.”

“I am broken.”

Noctis had never heard anyone sound so utterly lost. Ignis’ voice was small, afraid. They sat in silence. Ignis trembled. 

Noctis wondered if this was how Ignis had felt when Noctis had traveled back. Had Ignis been afraid that Noctis was broken and nothing he could do would fix it? He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to pull Ignis against him, hold him like Ignis had held him. Comfort him like Ignis had comforted him. 

But he was afraid. Ignis hadn’t said anything about that night. Did he remember? 

“Noctis?” Ignis whispered.

“Yes, Ignis?”

“Did…was it real?”

Noctis blinked. “What?”

Ignis raised a trembling hand to his right shoulder. Noctis leaned forward and pulled the shirt out of the way.

It was there. Small, faded, but it was there. 

The bite mark Noctis had left on Ignis in a moment of passion. His fingers brushed it.

“Do you remember?” Noctis asked, his voice trembling.

“I don’t know,” Ignis said. “I think I remember, but it’s like a dream. Was it real?”

Noctis was silent. He leaned over and kissed the scar.

“Yes. It was real.”

Ignis wrenched his hand away from Noctis and much to Noct’s surprise, bit down on his knuckles. He saw fresh blood well out of his mouth. A high, keening whine escaped Ignis’ throat. 

Noctis stared, and then pulled Ignis against him. His own eyes burned with tears. It hurt to see Ignis like this. Ignis had always been the strong one. He whispered Ignis’ name over and over again.

Noctis wasn’t sure how long it took for Ignis to lower his bleeding hand. He could see the blood staining Ignis’ lips. He could see older scars and scabs on Ignis’ knuckles. How long had this been going on?

Ignis leaned against him, heavy and boneless. Noct stroked his back, his sides. He paused when Ignis whimpered in pain. He frowned, and leaned back. His fingers reached for the bottom of Ignis’ shirt.

He lifted it and froze. Ignis had shallow cuts crisscrossing his stomach, his ribs, his back. 

“Ignis…” he said. Ignis curled away from him. No one was supposed to see those. “Why?”

“I…I…don’t…helps me. It helps.”

Noctis gently ran his hands down the wounds, healing magic dancing across his fingers to the shallow cuts. He tried to heal Ignis’ eyes. His magic couldn’t even touch the wounds. 

“How?”

“Makes my eyes hurt less,” Ignis tried to pull away, Noctis pulled him back.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You were hurting.”

Noctis felt a wave of sadness wash over him. Ignis didn’t want to add to his pain. “What about Gladio and Prompto?”

Ignis tensed. “They want to leave me behind.”

Noctis froze. “What?”

“I heard them. Gladio wants to leave me behind. I’m broken. I’m useless. I’m a burden. Just leave me.”

“Ignis, I am not leaving you behind. I promised. Do you remember? You asked me not to leave you behind.”

“It was a foolish thing to ask for. What can I do for you anymore? I’m useless, broken. I’m nothing but a burden. You have enough on your shoulders, I can’t…I can’t add to that weight. You shouldn’t have gone back. We shouldn’t have…shouldn’t have…” he couldn’t catch his breath. His lungs constricted. He closed his eyes. He bit down on his knuckles again, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. It wasn’t working.

Noctis wrapped his arms around Ignis, rocking back and forth.

“Oh, Ignis. Don’t you know that you make the burden less?” He rested his cheek against the top of Ignis’ head. Tears fell onto Ignis’ hair. “I can’t do this without you.”

Ignis wrapped his free arm around Noct’s waist. His other hand was still in his mouth, teeth grinding into his skin.

“I’m broken,” he mumbled around his knuckles. 

Noctis pressed a kiss into Ignis’ hair. “Ignis, Ignis. Do you remember when you told me that I was the light in the darkness? Do you remember that?”

He felt Ignis nod against him. “I asked how I could be a light when I couldn’t find my way out of the dark.”

Ignis shuddered. The memories were coming back. He swallowed convulsively, blood sliding down his throat. He remembered.

“You’re my light, Ignis. You’re my light. I can’t do this without you. I need you. Don’t leave me, Ignis. If you’re broken, I’m broken. Maybe we’re both broken,” Noctis was openly crying now. “But if we’re broken, well, maybe our broken edges fit together. Don’t hide from me, Ignis.”

He could feel Ignis’ tears. They were thick, sticky. Blood. It didn’t matter to Noctis. 

“I’m here for you, Ignis. Let me help you.”

“I’ll just slow you down.”

“Then we’ll take it slow. I’m not leaving you behind. I love you, Ignis. Without you…I can’t face the darkness without you.”

Ignis held him. “I’m afraid,” Ignis whispered.

“Of what?”

“I’m afraid of the dark, Noctis. I can’t…nothing seems real except for pain. I’m afraid to sleep. I see,” he choked, “I can see when I sleep, and when I wake up, everything is dark. The dark is eating me alive, Noctis. I’m already dead.”

Noctis felt his heart break. He pressed his lips against Ignis’ forehead, brushing gentle kisses down the right side of his face. The wound still looked too fresh on his left side.

“Know that I am here, Ignis,” Noctis whispered against his skin. “Know that I will always watch over you. When you need to remember that there’s more than pain, reach for me. I will be there.”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” Ignis whispered into Noct’s neck.

“I know. Ignis, you’ve always helped me carry my burdens. You’ve been the only reason I could wake up some days, especially since we left the citadel. You’re not a burden. You’ll never be a burden.”

Ignis clung to him. He wanted to weep, but it hurt so much. Noctis stroked his back. 

“We’re going down to the tomb today. You’re coming with us.”

Ignis swallowed. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I can’t go into a tomb without you. There might be spiders.”

Ignis snorted. “I don’t think I’ll be much help with spiders.”

Noctis pressed their foreheads together. “You’ll be there with me, and that’s a big enough help.” He gently disentangled himself from Ignis. 

“C’mon, let me help you clean up a bit and we can sleep.”

He pulled Ignis to his feet and directed him to sit on the bed. Ignis listened as Noctis opened a water bottle and unzipped a bag. 

Noctis pulled out one of his clean shirts and dumped water on it. He took Ignis’ hands and gently wiped the blood from his knuckles. Ignis didn’t say anything. His head was bowed and his body was tense. Noctis tilted his head back and wiped the bloody tear tracks from Ignis’ cheeks. When Ignis was as clean as he could get him, he set the dirty shirt down. 

He touched Ignis’ shoulder. “Lay down, Iggy.”

Ignis complied, his body stiff. Noctis turned off the lamp and climbed into the bed next to Ignis. He pulled the blanket up.

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I…I panic when I wake up. I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice was painfully soft. 

Noctis rested his head on Ignis’ chest and threw his arm across his waist. “You won’t panic, Iggy. I’ll be here.”

Ignis’ arm came around him slowly, almost like he was afraid to touch him. Noct lifted himself slightly and shimmied up until he could feel Ignis’ breath across his face.

He knew that he would have to face his own issues. Going back hadn’t fixed them. The pain was still there. The guilt was still there. But helping Ignis took precedent. He didn’t know what he would do without Ignis. He pressed his forehead against Ignis’.

“You know what follows us after death, Ignis?”

He felt Ignis’ breath dance across his lips. “Love, Noctis.”

Noctis smiled sadly. “Always love.” He pressed his lips against Ignis’ in a gentle kiss.

“Sleep, Ignis. Let me watch over you for once.”

Ignis was afraid. He was afraid if he slept, this would vanish like a dream. None of it would be real. He would just be a blind, useless, broken man. 

Noctis kissed him again. “I love you, Ignis. Nothing could change that.”

Ignis swallowed. He could still taste his blood on his tongue. “And I love you, Noctis.”

Noctis smiled and rested his head back against Ignis’ chest. He gently stroked Ignis’ hip, listening to his heartrate drop and his breathing deepen.

“Dream well, Ignis. I’ll be waiting for you.”


	8. Now-The First Dream of the Advisor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis dreams, and the rest of the chapter is setting up the next one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. This chapter was freaking hard to write. I'm not super happy with it. I know where I need to get them, but getting them there was hard. This entire chapter is basically a set up for the next chapter, where Gladio and Noct face off. I hope it doesn't disappoint, but I'm afraid it's going to.
> 
> *sigh* the next chapters will be better. Promise. 
> 
> Let me know what you think. Gently, please. (or at least use lube).  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> yup, just said that.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now

_Ignis had no idea where he was. The only thing he could hear was his fast, panicked breathing. He bit down on his knuckle, tasting the leather of his gloves._

_He took a cautious step forward. His footstep echoed. Wherever he was, it seemed to be a large room. He took his fist from his mouth. Now he was curious. He pulled off one of his gloves and knelt slowly. His bare hand touched the floor._

_It was stone. It was cool to the touch, and felt aged._

_His breathing was slower. That was good. He was calming down._

_He took another slow step forward, and another. As he walked forward, the room seemed to get bigger._

_He grunted when he walked into something._

_“Damn it,” he muttered. He actually wished he had the cane with him; it would’ve stopped him from running into whatever it was. He was going to have a bruise across his waist._

_He pulled off his other glove and shoved them both in his back pocket. He reached out to touch whatever it was._

_It was also stone, and…it felt like a statue?_

_It was a man, he realized as his fingers brushed over the man’s thighs, hips, chest._

_His hand slowed and his heart constricted. He didn’t want to touch the statue’s face._

_He had to._

_His fingers brushed over the statue’s face. He knew that face. He knew it almost well as he knew his own._

_There was a horrible, heart wrenching wail echoing around the chamber. It took a moment for Ignis to realize the sound was coming from him. He couldn’t stop._

_It was Noctis. He was in Noctis’ Royal Tomb. Noctis was dead. Noctis was dead and Ignis was alone._

_His knees buckled. His hand clenched around the effigy’s face, his forehead resting against the stone. He had failed. He had failed Noctis._

_Ignis’ heartbroken wails finally died down to a soft whimper._

_“I’m so sorry, Noctis. I’m so sorry. I failed you.”_

_“No you didn’t.”_

_Ignis started. It was a woman’s voice. He had heard it over the radio before, but never in person._

_“Lady…Lady Lunafreya?” Ignis whispered, his voice rough. His throat felt raw._

_He felt gentle hands take his. Her thumbs traced his scarred knuckles._

_“May I sit beside you, Ignis?” she asked. He wished he could see her face._

_He swallowed. “Of course, Lady Lunafreya.”_

_He heard her adjust her clothing and felt her sit beside him. Her body radiated heat. She kept her hands tight around his._

_“You didn’t fail him, Ignis,” she repeated. She touched his face gently. He shied back slightly._

_“He is dead, Lady Lunafreya, and…I…I…”_

_“Ignis,” her voice cracked slightly, “Noctis is the chosen king. He…he was never going to survive.”_

_Ignis froze. “What?”_

_“It has been his destiny since the moment the crystal chose him. Regis knew. I knew.”_

_Ignis wrenched away from her, scrambling to his feet. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t see._

_A small sacrifice in the greater battle._

_“I…I…” Ignis couldn’t get the words out. How could Noctis’ own father send him to his death?_

_“I know, Ignis.”_

_“No! You don’t!” Ignis snarled. “I have been with him since he was three! I have seen him grow, and suffer. And for what? So I can lead him to his death?”_

_I have been leading the man I love to his destruction, he thought._

_Ignis felt his knees buckle again. He was on the ground, crying, broken._

_He wished for death. He wished to join Noctis._

_He felt Lunafreya’s hand on his shoulder. In that instant he hated her. She was dead, and she would have him in death. He wished he could kill her again._

_He had led Noctis to this. He had encouraged him, cajoled him, forced him, to death._

_“Listen to me, Ignis,” Lunafreya’s voice was soft. “Noctis will need you. You can’t leave him yet.”_

_“I should’ve died at Altissia,” Ignis said. “It would’ve been better.”_

_“NO!” Lunafreya said, her fingers grasping his chin and tilting his face up. “If you had died in Altissia, Noctis would’ve died as well. He would have gone after the Empire and tried to avenge you. He would have failed. And the world would be shrouded forever in darkness.”_

_“What do I care?” Ignis asked bitterly. “The world is already shrouded in darkness for me. You will both be dead, and you will have him in death.”_

_Lunafreya sucked in a surprised breath._

_“Ignis, do you know what survives beyond death?”_

_Ignis snorted, trying to pull away from her. “Love. Noctis told me. And you will be with him in death.”_

_“Foolish man,” she said, almost fondly. “Then you should know that Noctis loves you.”_

_“You were his first love.”_

_He felt her lips graze his forehead. “Noctis is very dear to me. He is like my little brother. We were going to be wed because it is the Oracle’s job to see the chosen king to the end. I love him, but he was only ever meant for you.”_

_Ignis was frozen. He wished he could believe it. She seemed to read his thoughts, pulling his head against her._

_“Your love sees him through, Ignis. Not mine. Not anyone else’s. Yours. You are the one he has always turned to. You are the one that was always there for him. Why do think Regis never told you? You wouldn’t have been able to look at him without telling him. Regis knew this. He knew you would never turn your back on him. He knew you, of all others, would be there with him until the end.”_

_Ignis leaned heavily against her. “So, you tell me now because I cannot see him?”_

_“No, I tell you now so you can be there for him. You are hurting, but your death would propel the King of Light into darkness.”_

_“How can I be strong for him? How can I help him when I can’t even help myself?”_

_“You must find a way, Ignis. I know it is difficult. Believe me, I know. I know what it is like to have your body ravaged by pain and failing you. I have been there. I would have died anyway. Ardyn simply hastened me on my way. It is the most difficult thing one can do, to be strong for someone else when your body betrays you at every turn.”_

_He felt tears running down his face. They were hot, sticky. He knew he was crying blood again. He tried to pull back. If she was wearing the white of her office he was going to stain her dress._

_“I think I can help you, Ignis.” He felt her hands cup his face, and her forehead press against hers. “Blessed stars of life and light, deliver us from darkness blight.”_

_Ignis gasped. The pain behind his eyes lessened a bit._

_“I cannot heal you. Hopefully, the pain will be less when you wake up.”_

_“What?”_

_He could almost hear the smile in her voice. “Wonderful man, don’t you know? You’re asleep.”_

FFXV

Ignis had been asleep for a little more than an hour. As he had told him, Noctis had stayed awake to watch over him. He had turned the lamp back on, because he knew it wouldn’t bother Ignis.

How could it?

Noctis wanted to study Ignis’ face. He sat up, keeping his hand over Ignis’ heart. His eyes roved over the sleeping man’s face.

Ignis was still the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He leaned over, pressing his lips against Ignis’ forehead.

Looking at the scars, Noctis’ guilt came back full force. He blinked back sudden tears. He caressed Ignis’ cheek, fingers dancing over his skin. He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of Ignis inside him, the taste of Ignis’ skin in his mouth. 

He was glad Ignis remembered. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if Ignis hadn’t. He snuggled back against Ignis, his head back over the other man’s heart. The steady beating was comforting. 

Ignis was still alive. Noctis opened his eyes and wrapped his arm around Ignis’ narrow waist. The man had lost weight. They all had, but it seemed like Ignis had lost more weight than the others. He’d have to make sure Iggy ate more.

Noctis felt Ignis tense beneath him. His heart was suddenly pounding under Noctis’ ear. He lifted his head and looked at Ignis’ face. His face was contorted in pain, and he was whimpering. Noctis sat up.

“Ignis. Ignis, wake up.”

Ignis stirred, but he still wouldn’t wake. 

“Noctis, I’m sorry,” Ignis whispered. Noctis frowned. “I failed you.”

Noctis blinked. How had Ignis failed him? He shook Ignis’ shoulder gently. He watched as Ignis shifted. He could see his eyes darting under his eyelids. 

“Ignis! Ignis, wake up!” 

Ignis’ eyes flew open and he sat up, his arms flailing. Noctis managed to get his arms around Ignis, pinning the other man to the bed.

“Ignis, it’s okay. It’s me. You’re safe.”

“Noct…Noctis?” Ignis whispered.

“Yeah. You’re okay. Bad dream?”

“Dream?” Ignis whispered. He got one of his arms free and touched his forehead. The pain was less. Had it been a dream?

Oh, gods in heaven. He remembered. Noctis was going to die, and it was Ignis’ job to lead him there.

His hand shot out and collided with Noct’s cheek. Noctis took his hand and turned it, pressing his cheek into Ignis’ palm. Ignis’ fingers moved over his face, trying to memorize the feel of his face. 

It was like the statue in the tomb in his dreams.

He wrapped his arms around Noctis and held him. Noctis stroked his back, whispering Ignis’ name.

This must have been how Ignis had felt when Noct had gone back in time and freaked out. He shifted, throwing a leg over Ignis’ hips. Ignis whimpered, his arms tightening around the prince. 

Noctis stared at his face. He could see fresh blood welling in Ignis’ eyes. His brow was furrowed in pain. 

“Don’t cry, Ignis. It looks like it hurts.”

Ignis swallowed roughly. “It does.”

Noctis leaned forward and kissed the blood away from his eyes. He pressed their foreheads together.

“When you were asleep, you said you failed me,” Noctis said softly. “How did you fail?”

Ignis clenched his hand on Noctis’ back. “I wasn’t there to help you in Altissia,” Ignis said softly. “I…If I had been there…”

“If you had been there Ardyn would’ve killed you,” Noctis said firmly. “You haven’t failed me. You can’t fail me.”

Ignis whimpered. He wanted nothing more than to steal Noct away from all of the pain, the suffering, and darkness.

But he couldn’t. He knew that. 

He would stay by Noctis until the end. Until then, he would hold him as tight as he could.

Noctis gently pushed Ignis back and rested his head against his shoulder. “We have some time before we have to get ready. Let’s just…sit here, like this.”

Ignis felt the pain stab behind his eyes again. His eyes closed. He shoved the pain aside, focusing on Noctis in his arms. 

“As you wish, Noctis.”

FFXV

Gladio woke with a frown on his face. Something was off. He listened. Ignis’ breathing was different. Gladio reached over and turned on the small lamp in the sleep compartment. He already knew what he would see. 

Prompto was asleep in Ignis’ bunk, and Ignis was nowhere to be seen. 

Gladio growled and threw a pillow at Prompto. He woke with a start.

“Where’s Ignis?”

Prompto groaned and sat up. “What?”

“Where is Ignis? That is his bed you’re sleeping in.”

Prompto yawned and rubbed his eyes. “He’s with Noctis.”

Gladio stood up. “What?”

Prompto blinked up at him. “What is your issue? What do you think is going to happen if they’re alone together?”

“Ignis needs to heal; he doesn’t need to deal with the emotional train wreck that Noctis has turned into.”

“Wow,” Prompto said, glaring at Gladio. “Really? You don’t think that Noct has a reason to be, as you put it, an ‘emotional train wreck’?”

“He’s going to be king. Like I said yesterday, he needs to pull his head out of his ass.”

“Shit, Gladio,” Prompto was getting angry. He didn’t get angry often, although it felt like he got angry a lot more after Altissia. “The rest of us aren’t like you, okay? Noctis needs time to grieve-“

“He doesn’t have time!”

“You think he doesn’t know that? He’s trying, Gladio. And Ignis-“

“Ignis needs to be alone.”

“NO!” Prompto yelled. “Don’t you get it? Why do you want to leave Ignis so badly?”

“I just don’t think we’re going to have time to wait for him.” Gladio ran his hand through his hair and sat back down on his bed. He cradled his head in his hands. “Do you think I like doing this, Prompto? I’ve known both of them forever, and I’ve never seen them like this.”

“Then back off,” Prompto said softly. “When Ignis came to our room, he was scared, Gladio. He said he needed to know that Noctis was there. He sounded…Gods, Gladio, he sounded broken.”

The two men sat in silence for a moment. 

“I have to check on Ignis. Ignis doesn’t need to be around Noctis right now.”

“But he wants to be, Gladio,” Prompto said softly. “Don’t you get it? Noctis is Ignis’ life.”

They sat in silence. Gladio walked to the door. “I’m going to go check on Ignis.”

“Gladio,” Prompto said.

“Yeah? Now what?”

“Check if you must, but if they seem okay, leave them for a while. We have a couple of hours before we all need to be ready to go down into the mine.”

“Fine.” Gladio stepped into the hallway and walked to the next door. He took a deep breath and opened it.

Ignis was sitting back against the wall, Noctis in his lap. Gladio could see bloody tear tracks down Ignis’ face. Noctis turned his head and looked at Gladio, his eyes hard.

“What, Gladio?”

Gladio looked at Ignis. The man was clinging to Noctis, his thumbs drawing circles on Noct’s lower back. He could see how tense Ignis was.

“You okay, Iggy?”

“Fine,” Ignis said shortly. His voice trembled slightly, and he buried his face against Noctis’ hair. Noctis continued to glare at Gladio.

“Do you need something?” Noctis asked.

“Ah, no. Just wanted to make sure you guys were good.”

“As you can see, everything is dandy.”

“Why is there blood on the floor?”

Noctis cursed himself for not cleaning up after Ignis had cut himself. 

“I tripped,” Ignis said into Noctis’ hair. “Cut my arm on the corner of the bed.”

Gladio stared at them. Ignis wasn’t telling him something, but the man refused to look at him. He kept his face buried against Noctis’ black hair. 

“Okay. I’ll start getting our things ready to go down into the mine.”

“You do that,” Noctis said, turning back to Ignis. Gladio blinked. It was a clear dismissal, and Gladio honestly couldn’t remember a time when Noctis had ever done something like that.

Gladio snorted and slammed the door shut. He stormed back into his room. Prompto looked up at him. 

“Everything okay?”

Gladio threw himself onto his bed. “Everything’s fine. They were cuddling. Ignis was crying blood. There was a large blood stain on the floor. Pretty sure Ignis lied to me about what happened. So, yeah, everything’s great.”

Prompto sighed. He just wanted everything to go back to normal. 

Gladio groaned and sat up. “Sorry, Prompto. Not trying to take it out on you.”

“You shouldn’t take it out on them, either. It’s not their fault.”

“Noctis should-“ 

“No, Gladio. You can say that Noctis needs to man up or whatever, but it wasn’t his fault. Just…give them time, ya know?”

Gladio sighed. “Whatever.”

FFXV

Noctis looked at Ignis, touching his cheek. “You okay?” he asked softly. He was pissed at Gladio. He was pissed the man had just barged in. 

Ignis nodded.

“Gladio hasn’t left you alone since Altissia,” Noctis started.

Ignis nodded again. “He won’t let me be alone. I just want to be alone.”

Noctis sat back, trying not to feel hurt. He slowly got off of Ignis’ lap. “I can leave, if you want to be alone.”

Ignis gasped. He reached for Noctis, his fingers finding nothing but air. His heart fell. No. No. No. He didn’t want Noctis to leave.

He moaned, shoving his fist into his mouth. He bit down as hard as he could stand, blood flooding his mouth. The fire behind his eyes raged and twisted. He pressed his other hand over his eyes. The fire didn’t stop. If anything, the conflagration only worsened.

Noctis stared. He hadn’t expected Ignis to react so violently. He saw fresh blood well from Ignis’ fist. He touched Ignis’ face.

Ignis recoiled, his head slamming against the wall. Noctis flinched. 

“I’m sorry, Ignis. I’m not going anywhere.” He managed to pry Ignis’ hand away from his eyes. They looked even worse than they had hours ago.

Ignis groaned around his fist. He knew the truth. Noctis would be leaving.

“I’m sorry, Ignis, I didn’t think before I spoke.”

Ignis closed his eyes, trying to ease the burning. He took a deep breath and lowered his fist.

“I’m sorry, Noctis. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Noctis gave a strangled laugh. “We seem to always be apologizing to each other.”

Ignis nodded, trying to move his head as little as possible. Noctis grabbed the still damp shirt he had used to clean Ignis’ face a few hours earlier. He gently rubbed Ignis’ face, stroking it over Ignis’ eyes, down his cheeks, cleaning the blood.

He pressed it against Ignis’ forehead. “Better?”

“Yes. Thank you, Noct.”

Noctis folded the shirt over Ignis’ eyes. He rested against Ignis’ shoulder. He took his bloody hands in his, sending tendrils of healing magic through him.

They sat in silence. Noctis sighed, lacing his fingers through Ignis’. 

“What did you dream about?” Noctis asked.

Ignis tensed. “I…”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Noctis said softly.

“I was in your tomb,” Ignis said, his body stiff. Noctis kissed his shoulder. “I was in your tomb, and you were gone.”

Noctis didn’t know what to say. 

“Lady Lunafreya came to me,” Ignis said softly. “She said that…she said…”

“It’s okay, Ignis.” Noctis kissed his shoulder again. 

“I love you, Noctis,” Ignis said softly. 

Noctis pulled the shirt off Ignis eyes and kissed his eyelids. “I love you, Ignis.”

Ignis’ arm went around Noct. “We should probably get ready,” he said.

Noctis sighed. He was not looking forward to going down into the mine. 

“I wish we had gone back to Duscae after Altissia,” Noctis said against his shoulder. “We should’ve taken the time.”

Ignis’ arm tightened around him. He wished that they had gone back to Duscae as well. Gladio had pushed them forward.

Ignis knew better now. They didn’t have a choice in the matter. Fate was a fickle bitch.

“I know,” Ignis said softly. “But we’re here, and we have nowhere to go but forward.”

Noctis closed his eyes. “This is going to suck.”


	9. Now-The Rage of the Advisor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the four share a moment of normalcy, and then everything goes to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was much easier to write than the last one. I know I said Gladio and Noct would face of in this one, but...it got pushed back one.  
> Gladio is a grade A asshole in this chapter. I want it to be clear that I don't hate Gladiolus. I don't understand how he could've left them, and I don't get why he is such an asshole in Chapter 10. But I don't hate him. I don't necessarily like him very much, but I don't hate him. I try not to bash characters. I don't think I did in this chapter, but I just want to give everyone warning that even writing a certain scene in this chapter made me pissed at Gladio.  
> So, enjoy the angst filled anger fest that this chapter somehow became.  
> Let me know what you think. Hopefully I won't need the lube this time.
> 
> FFXV isn't mine. not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now

Noctis pressed one last gentle kiss against Ignis’ shoulder and stood up. He went to his bag and rooted around in it for a moment, digging out relatively clean clothes. He pulled the shirt he had slept in off and put another black one on. 

Ignis sat there, hands clasped in his lap, listening to Noctis undress. It made something hurt inside him. He remembered peeling Noct’s pants off his body, Noctis laughing at Ignis carrying lube in his bag.

He wanted to see Noct’s body again.

He heard more fabric rustle, and could only imagine Noctis pulling his pants up his lithe legs.

Noctis paused when he heard a small noise escape from Ignis’ throat. He looked up. Ignis’ head was bowed, hands twisting in the sheets. He glanced down and thought he knew what had bothered Ignis. He tried to imagine how he would feel if he knew Ignis was undressing feet from him and he couldn’t watch.

He stepped to Ignis and took his hand. He ran his thumb over Ignis’ palm and pressed Ignis’ hand against his chest. Ignis’ hand clenched over Noct’s heart.

Noctis stood there, letting Ignis run his hand over his chest, relearning it by touch. 

“Let me go get your bag,” Noctis said softly. Ignis nodded and sat back, his hand falling into his lap. He didn’t know how Noctis had known that at that moment he had needed to touch Noctis, but he didn’t care. Noct had known.

Noctis moved to the door and slid it open. Prompto stood on the other side, his hand raised to knock. He had Ignis’ bag under one arm and the cane in the other.

“Uh, hey?” Prompto said.

“Hi,” Noctis said in surprise.

“I, uh, brought Ignis’ things. I was hoping to grab mine. I didn’t get them earlier.”

Noctis stepped back, letting Prompto in. Prompto glanced at Ignis, sitting on Noctis’ bed. He saw the blood stain that Gladio had mentioned. He set Ignis’ bag next to him and leaned the cane against the end of the bed.

“Here’s your things, Iggy,” Prompto said.

“Thank you, Prompto. And…I’m sorry I kicked you out of your room.”

“No biggie,” Prompto said with a grin. He went over to his bag and started picking up his things that had spread across the room in the weeks they had been on the train. 

Noctis stood in front of the small mirror in between the beds and finished styling his hair. He paused. On the floor at his feet were Ignis’ twisted glasses frames. He knelt and picked them up. He could see Ignis’ blood on the silver frames. The lenses were gone. He stuck the frames in his pocket next to the ring. 

A reminder of what had been lost. 

He turned. Prompto was half under his bed, ass in the air, digging for something.

“Dude, what are you doing?” he asked, kicking Prompto’s butt as he walked back to Ignis. 

“I think one of my memory cards is under here somewhere,” Prompto’s voice came from under the bed. “Along with a lot of other stuff. Eww…how long has it been since anyone cleaned under here?” 

Ignis had one hand in his bag, feeling around for a shirt. Noctis touched his shoulder and pulled the shirt out. He glanced at Prompto, still under the bed. He touched Ignis’ hip and peeled his bloodstained shirt over his head.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against the mark on Ignis’ shoulder. The mark that meant that Ignis was his. He stood back up. 

He could see faint scars crisscrossing Ignis’ body. He frowned. His magic had healed the wounds, but left the scars. Ignis managed to snatch his clean shirt from Noctis’ hands and shrug into it. He started to button it.

“You missed one,” Noctis said so softly Ignis almost didn’t hear him. Ignis paused, his head bowing.

He couldn’t even dress himself properly. His hands fell away from the buttons. He had worn a t shirt and his jacket after Altissia. He hadn’t tried to wear his leopard print button down. Now he knew why. 

Thank the gods he hadn’t tried to put it on in front of Gladio. 

He felt Noctis’ hands unbuttoning and rebuttoning the shirt correctly. 

“You’ll get there, Ignis,” Noctis whispered. He reached over and grabbed a comb and his hair gel. He quickly and efficiently styled Ignis’ hair in his preferred style. Ignis sat quietly under his hands.

He had raged against Gladio when the bigger man had offered to help with his daily ablutions. Yet he sat and took it from Noctis. 

If Noctis wanted to help him dress every morning, Ignis was going to let him. He wanted Noct’s hands on him as much as possible before…

Before Noctis died.

“Aha! Gotcha ya little bastard!” Prompto’s voice came from under the bed. He wiggled backwards and lifted his arm triumphantly. He turned and went quiet. 

Noctis was kneeling behind Ignis, styling the blind man’s hair. Noctis was staring at Prompto with an amused half smile. Ignis’ head was tilted towards him, a bewildered expression on his face. 

“Glad you found it,” Noctis said.

“Yeah, I’d be bummed without it,” Prompto said softly.

Noctis finished Ignis’ hair and handed the man a pair of pants. Ignis stood up slowly, one hand grasping the bed to keep his balance. He carefully pulled his sleep pants off and sat back down to pull the clean pair on. He didn’t care if Noct or Prompto saw. He couldn’t see their faces anyway.

Prompto’s eyes widened when he saw the wicked scars across the tops of Ignis’ thighs. He looked at Noctis. 

Noctis’ felt a wave of horror. He hadn’t realized that Ignis had cut himself there as well. The wounds were deep. Some were raw, others semi healed. Noctis leaned over to Prompto.

“Do not tell Gladio about that,” he hissed in the blonde’s ear. Prompto nodded hastily. Gladio would lose his mind if he knew. He would blame Noctis, or Ignis. 

Ignis paused, zipping his pants. He heard what Noctis had whispered to Prompto. He should’ve thought about his scars. Too late now.

His hand searched around for his shoes. 

“Here,” Noctis said softly. He touched Ignis’ thigh, caressing the hidden scars. Prompto shoved the rest of his stuff back into his bag. 

“Where’s Gladio?” Noctis finally asked, watching Ignis shove his feet into his boots.

“Gathering the camp gear from the Regalia,” Prompto said. “He said he’d meet us in the dining car for breakfast.”

“Great. Guess we should get moving then,” Noctis said. Ignis sighed. He pulled his gloves out of his bag and put them on. He’d need the cane. His hand reached out for it, and Noctis kicked it gently into his hand. 

Ignis braced himself on the cane and stood up. He felt a wave of panic. He didn’t have glasses. 

“Noctis?”

Noct paused at the door. Prompto had walked out ahead of him. 

“Yeah?”

“I…I have another pair of glasses in my bag. Can you get them for me?” his voice was soft, pleading. Part of him didn’t want to wear the glasses, but he didn’t know what to do without them.

“Sure thing.” Noctis dug around in Ignis’ well-organized bag until he found a glasses case. He popped it open and took out another pair of dark lensed glasses. He unfolded the frames and touched Ignis’ cheek. Ignis bowed his head slightly, allowing Noctis to gently push the glasses onto his face.

“Thank you,” Ignis whispered.

“Welcome,” Noct whispered back. 

Ignis put the cane out and walked slowly towards the door. He could hear Prompto in the hallway in front of him, walking slowly. Ignis trailed his fingers over the wall. Noctis walked behind him. 

Noct’s eyes traveled over Ignis. He watched as Ignis moved slowly down the hall, fingers tracing the wall, other hand wrapped around the head of the elaborate cane. He thought he could hear the ring clink against Ignis’ broken glasses frames in his pocket.

A reminder. He would carry those frames with him until the end. 

They finally reached the dining car. Noctis directed Ignis to a booth, and Prompto sat across from him.

“Four of the breakfast specials?” Noctis asked.

“Sure thing,” Prompto said, bouncing in his seat.

“Please,” Ignis said quietly.

Noctis touched his shoulder and smiled. He walked to the bar and placed the order. The tipster said the food would be up in a minute and he’d bring them their meals. Noct dropped into the seat next to Ignis.

Gladio walked in a few minutes later and sat next to Prompto.

“Everything’s good to go,” Gladio said shortly. 

Noctis nodded. “I ordered for you, breakfast special.”

“Thanks,” he looked at Prompto. “You know you have dust or something all over your face, right?”

“What? Crap, Noctis! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Noctis smirked. “I thought it was a good look for you.”

“What were you doing?” Gladio asked, handing Prompto a napkin.

“My memory card fell under the bed last night. I went hunting for it this morning,” Prompto said, dipping the napkin in water and wiping his face.

“Let out quite the victory yelp when he found it,” Ignis said softly. 

Noctis glanced at him. It felt almost normal, the four of them sitting there, waiting for breakfast and joking around. 

“I imagine,” Gladio said drily. 

“Here you go, four breakfast specials and four coffees. Cream and sugar are by the window.”

“Thank you!” Prompto said brightly. Then he looked at the food.

The server walked away. Noctis poked at the mass of yellow goo on the plate. “What…what is this?”

“Special,” Gladio said. 

“I think those are eggs,” Prompto muttered. Ignis’ hand felt around for a fork. He found it, and with one hand steadied the plate. He used the fork to poke at the various foodstuffs on the plate.

Gladio tried it. “It’s not terrible, if you swallow really fast. And try not to taste. And don’t mind the texture of slime.”

Prompto made a face. “I think this is supposed to be sausage? In the eggs?”

Ignis speared something on his plate and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed. And chewed. 

“That’s it,” Ignis said, swallowing hard. Everyone froze, looking at him. There was no way he was going to say it. “I’ve come up with a new recipe.”

“No,” Prompto said in shock. Gladio’s mouth was hanging open, and Noctis’ eyes were wide.

“I dare say even you and Noctis could manage this one,” Ignis said, pushing his plate away.

“Yeah?” Noctis said. 

“Indeed. It wouldn’t be hard. Simply vomit into a pan and fry it.”

There was silence. Prompto started giggling. He covered his mouth, trying to stifle it. He snorted, which started Gladio laughing. Noctis bit the inside of his cheek to try to silence the laughter, but it too escaped. He felt tears leak from the corner of his eyes from trying not to laugh.

He dropped his head against Ignis’ shoulder, still laughing. 

“This has to be the worst thing I’ve ever eaten,” Gladio said, shoving another forkful in his mouth.

“Then why are you still eating it?” Prompto said, looking scandalized.

“Hungry,” Gladio said, flinching as he swallowed another mouthful.

“You just want to prove that you’re tougher than the rest of us,” Noctis said.

Gladio nodded. Ignis’ hand searched for one of the coffee mugs. Prompto pushed it to him. Ignis sniffed it. He held it out for Noctis to look into.

Noctis lifted his head from Ignis’ shoulder and looked into the mug. “Looks normal, no chunks or anything if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Prompto said, dumping loads of sugar in his own coffee. “This place has shit food. Reminds me of elementary school. Seriously, they should have ladies in pink aprons serving everything. They’d have to wear hair nets.”

“You’re crazy, you know that?” Gladio asked. He poured cream into his coffee. Ignis was the only one who took it black. 

Ignis sipped his coffee and tried not to grimace. It was lukewarm, and definitely no Ebony, but it was caffeinated. Noctis dropped his head back on Ignis’ shoulder. He dumped so much sugar and cream into his coffee is was practically white.

No one said anything about what they were getting ready to do. For a while, they could pretend they were just four friends, sitting around a table. They could pretend they weren’t hurting, weren’t falling apart at the seams.

A moment of brotherhood before reality came crashing back around them.

FFXV

A while later, the four of them had migrated outside. Gladio was checking out the elevator. Ignis felt the sun on his face. 

“Ignis,” Noctis said softly. Ignis stopped and turned to face his voice. Noctis put his hand on Ignis’ arm. He could feel how tense Ignis was.

“Ready to set out?” Ignis asked. His heart was in his throat. Was Noctis going to ask him to stay behind?

“I’m going to have Prompto stick close to you. Is that okay?” Noctis asked softly. 

Ignis relaxed slightly. “I don’t want to be a bother.” He wasn’t being left.

“Prompto won’t mind,” Noctis said. “Gladio won’t be happy, but I want you down there with us.”

Ignis bowed his head. His fingers tightened on the cane. “I’ll manage,” he whispered.

Noctis squeezed his arm gently. “I have no doubts. If you need me down there, just yell. I’ll be leading.”

“Of course, Noctis.”

Noctis touched his hand and turned away. Ignis followed at a slower pace. Noct stopped next to Prompto.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Prompto said back, turning to face his best friend.

“Do me a favor down there?” Noctis asked.

“Anything you need,” Prompto said immediately. Noctis glanced at Ignis.

“Stay close to Ignis, okay?” Noct’s voice cracked a little.

Prompto put his hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “Like a mite on a chocobo.”

“You are disgusting,” Noctis said. Ignis paused next to them. Gladio walked up.

“We ready to go?”

“Yup,” Prompto said. “All present and accounted for.”

Gladio’s eyes narrowed as he took in Ignis.

“Noct, can I talk to you?”

Noctis looked up at him. “No.”

Prompto took Ignis’ arm and led him to the elevator. Gladio stared at Noctis in shock. He didn’t think Noctis had ever shut him down like that. 

“Noctis-“

“I said no, Gladiolus. Ignis is coming with us. End of discussion. Now, get on the damn elevator.”

Noctis walked around the bigger man and got on the elevator. It had felt good to say no to Gladio like that. Weeks of anger and hurt were finally coming to the surface. 

Gladio spit in disgust and got on the elevator. Noctis hit the button the close the door, and they descended in silence.

FFXV

It hadn’t been bad at first. Prompto stayed within two steps of him, talking incessantly. 

“Here we are,” Prompto said, “the Chocobros, on another adventure.”

Ignis stopped him. “The what?”

“Chocobros. That’s us. I thought about ‘Noctis and his Merry Men’ or ‘Prom and Noct take on the World with help from Iggy and Gladdy,’ but ‘Chocobros’ stuck. Like it?”

Ignis tilted his head. “You are insane.”

Prompto snorted and led him around a small pond. “You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first. We’re the Chocobros. We’re going down in history with that name.”

“What did you call us?” Gladio asked, pointedly not looking at Ignis.

“Chocobros. I thought of it first, so that’s what we’re calling ourselves.”

Noctis blinked at him. “You are a nerd.”

“So this is like ‘Bust-a-Base’ then?” Ignis asked drily.

Prompto grinned, clapping Ignis on the shoulder. “Exactly! See, Ignis gets me.”

After that, Gladio had surged ahead. Noctis roamed back and forth, out ahead of Gladio and then circling back to check on Ignis and Prompto.

Ignis’ whole world narrowed down to Prompto. He listened to Prompto, using the blonde’s voice and footsteps as a marker. Prompto would occasionally place a hand on Ignis’ back and steer him around an obstacle, but he wasn’t overbearing.

They had reached what Ignis had assumed was a large pond or a small, shallow lake when all hell had broken loose.

He heard something breach out of the water, and Prompto’s startled yelp. 

And the fight was on.

Ignis had never been so terrified in his life. Even Altissia paled to this. He had never taken part in a battle that he couldn’t see before.

All those years of training fled as he listened to the sound of Sea Devils raging in the water. All of his careful composure left him when he heard Noctis hit the water with a grunt.

The Sea Devils weren’t even attacking him. He didn’t register as a threat.

He could hear the sound of the creatures’ jaws snapping, and the others panting as they fought. Prompto gave a strangled cry. Ignis’ head whipped around. Prompto was nearby. 

He shuffled towards the moaning he could hear, and nearly tripped over Prompto’s prone body. He knelt and touched his shoulder. He borrowed magic from Noctis to heal Prompto.

Prompto leapt to his feet and touched Ignis’ shoulder. “Thanks!” And he dove back into the fray. 

Ignis stayed kneeling. For a brief moment, he had felt useful. He wasn’t a burden. He could still have a purpose.

Then something slammed into him from behind.

“IGNIS!” he heard Noctis yell.

Whatever had just landed on him wasn’t a Sea Devil, thank the six. It had four legs and foul breath. It held Ignis’ head under the water. Ignis tried to hit the thing with his cane, but couldn’t.

He needed to breathe. 

He summoned his dagger and made a haphazard slash. The weight on his chest was gone and he sat up, spewing foul tasting water. He heard a gunshot and yelp.

Ignis sat in the water. Noctis should have left him on the surface. He was of no use on a battlefield. Gods above, Gladio had been right.

He felt someone’s hands on his shoulder.

“You okay?” Noctis asked softly, helping Ignis to his feet. He watched Ignis carefully. The taller man adjusted his glasses. Noctis could see that his hands were trembling. His cheeks were flushed, and he turned his head away from Noctis. He was ashamed.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked again, a thread of worry in his voice. “Were you hurt?”

Ignis didn’t seem to be listening. 

The pain behind his eyes flared up. His heart wouldn’t slow down, and every beat of his heart drove spikes into his brain. He could almost hear Noctis, but it was like trying to listen to him through a bad phone line.

His lungs were constricting. Was it because of the water he couldn’t seem to cough out or was he just on the verge of another panic attack? He shoved his fist in his mouth and bit down. His glove tasted awful, and there just wasn’t enough pain with the leather covering his knuckles. 

Ignis whimpered. It was so soft, Noctis almost missed it. He reached up and gently wrapped his hand around the fist Ignis had bitten down on. He stroked his hand and finally managed to get him to lower it. 

“Ignis?” Noctis whispered.

“Noctis?” Ignis seemed to be coming back to himself. 

“Yeah. You okay? That Saberclaw came out of nowhere.”

Ignis bowed his head. “Forgive me,” he whispered. Noctis squeezed his hand. 

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Noctis said. He gave Ignis a potion. “Take this.”

“I am a hindrance down here, Highness. I should have stayed on the surface.”

“No,” Noctis said firmly. “Look, Ignis, nothing you can say is going to make me send you away. I need you, remember?”

“Yes,” Ignis said.

Prompto walked up to them. “I’m sorry, Ignis, I should’ve been paying more attention to you.”

Ignis shook his head minutely. “It is not your job to babysit me during battles, Prompto. I will…manage, somehow.”

Gladio was notably absent.

Prompto knelt and fished Ignis’ cane out of the water. He pressed it into Ignis’ hand. “Still, Noct asked me to stick close to you.”

“You did fine, Prompto,” Ignis said. Noctis squeezed his hand again. Noct couldn’t believe Ignis. Even after everything, he had a kind word for Prompto. 

“Hey, Noct!” they heard Gladio’s voice call across the clearing. Noctis sighed. “Come look at this!”

He dropped Ignis’ hand and walked over to Gladio. Gladio didn’t say anything about the battle they had just taken part in. He didn’t say anything about Ignis getting attacked.

But there was a smug little ‘I-told-you-so’ smile on his face that Noctis really wanted to wipe off. Preferably with violence. 

“I think the tomb is down there.” He pointed down the path, which had a piece of huge equipment parked in the way.

“They parked there?” Prompto said as he and Ignis walked slowly up to the others. “Wish we could give them a ticket.” He leaned close to Ignis to tell him what was in the way.

“Well, there’s gotta be a way to move it,” Noctis said, heading back to the lake. He thought he had seen a control panel resting just out of the water. He surged up the stairs and inspected it. 

He flipped a switch, and nothing. “Damn,” he muttered. Gladio came up behind him. 

“Looks like there might be generators somewhere,” Gladio said. 

Noctis groaned and rested his head against the panel. Gladio punched him on the shoulder.

“Let’s move.”

Noctis wanted to punch him in the face, but he levered himself to his feet and brushed by Gladio. He quickly explained to Prompto and Ignis that they were going to have to look for generators.

They started hiking. Ignis wasn’t sure how much time passed. He was focused on Prompto again. He was also cold. His clothes were wet, he smelled terrible, and his head and eyes hurt.

He figured that was going to be par for the course for the rest of his life.

How long would he live? 

How long did he want to live? The urge to slice into his skin was still there. If anything, it was worse than it had been before.

He had been leading Noctis to his death and hadn’t even known. He didn’t think it had just been a dream. The fact that his eyes had hurt less afterwards, and the fact that he remembered it clearly, made him think it was real.

Lunafreya had told him the truth.

He focused back on Prompto. He couldn’t afford to think about the prophecy or Noctis at that moment. It was hard enough just walking down here. He knew Noctis was somewhere ahead of them, and Gladio was ranging behind them, covering the rear.

Noctis saw a shed at the end of the path. He charged up the hill and slammed on the brakes. A pack of Voretooths got up and started to stalk towards him.

“Whoops,” he muttered. He pulled a blizzard spell from the armiger, and tossed it into the middle of the pack. Most of them dropped dead, and he grinned, pulling his blade and diving into the middle of them.

He shouldn’t have tossed the spell. He wanted to work out some aggression.

Prompto heard the unmistakable sounds of battle up ahead. He glanced at Ignis. Ignis sighed.

“Go,” he said. “Help Noctis. I’ll wait here.”

He hoped Prompto wouldn’t be able to tell how much saying that had cost him. Would he spend the rest of his life waiting in the wings for the others?

He took a careful step forward. He didn’t want to be orbiting the others. He wanted to be standing with them, shoulder to shoulder, like he had before. He took another step, and another.

He had to help.

His foot caught on a rock, and he went down hard. He hit his shoulder and rolled to his hands and knees.

Gladio saw Ignis go down. His lips tightened, and he clenched his fists at his sides. They never should’ve brought him down here. Hell, they should’ve left him in Altissia and had Cid take him back to Hammerhead.

Gladio could hear the excited yelling of Prompto and Noctis up ahead. They were fighting something. He drew even with Ignis, paused for half a second, and kept walking.

Maybe if they could see that Ignis couldn’t handle this, they would see the wisdom in leaving him behind. Gladio didn’t like walking by Ignis. Ignis had been his friend and confidant for years. They had watched Noctis grow up.

Maybe this would be the push Noctis needed to accept his duty and carry on. They couldn’t do it with the dead weight of a blind man holding them down. Gladio ran ahead to help with the fight, leaving Ignis on his hands and knees on the path.

Alone.

Ignis heard Gladio’s heavy footfalls come closer, pause next to him, and keep going. He thought he felt the edge of Gladio’s pants brush his legs.

Ignis couldn’t believe it. Gladio had left him.

Gladiolus had left him behind.

At first, he was ashamed. He had brought this on himself. How could he expect anything different? He couldn’t keep up with the others. 

He wished again that death had taken him. What did he care if his death caused Noctis to fall to darkness and die himself? Then they could be together.

Then he felt rage. How dare Gladiolus walk by him like he was nothing more than trash in Lestallum? How dare he ignore him when he needed help?

He couldn’t hear anything but the rush of blood in his ears. The sounds of the battle the others were having faded away. He couldn’t feel anything but the raging fire behind his eyes. The fire spread through his body, lighting nerves on fire. 

He was going to kill Gladiolus. He didn’t care anymore. He was going to gouge the bigger man’s eyes out and feed them to him. He was going to cast a fire spell and shove it into his skull, making sure no one would ever be able to heal his eyes.

Let him see how it felt. Let him see how much he liked being trapped in darkness. Let him see what it felt like to have those closest to him talk about leaving him behind.

Leave him behind. Let Gladiolus rot down here. Let the Royal Tomb become his grave.

Ignis felt blood leak from his eyes. The fire raging behind them soared to new heights. 

He screamed, his anger tearing out of his throat.

He was going to kill Gladiolus.

FFXV

Noctis stepped over the last of the Voretooths and knelt next to the small shed. “Check it out, a key.”

“Maybe it leads to treasure!” Prompto said. Gladio leaned over and looked.

“Looks like a generator key,” he said. Prompto thought Gladio seemed a little subdued, which was weird.

“Cool,” Noctis said, pocketing the key. “We should be able to get the equipment moved then.”

“Getting dark,” Gladio said. 

“Yeah,” Prompto said, walking to the edge of the path. “Looks like there’s a haven down there.”

“Nice,” Noctis said. He opened his mouth to say more when they heard a scream from down the path. 

Noctis and Prompto looked at each other and took off running. Gladio followed them at a slower pace. He knew what they would find. 

Noctis froze when he saw Ignis. Prompto stopped next to him.

“What happened?” Prompto whispered. 

Ignis was on his hands and knees. The scream tearing from his throat raised the hair on the back of his neck.

Gladio stepped up next to them. He swallowed hard. 

“We don’t have time for this,” he said, “We have to get to camp.”

Gladiolus’ voice cut through Ignis’ rage fueled mind. His mouth snapped shut, cutting off the scream. His head came up. Noctis could see blood streaming down his cheeks. 

The sudden silence seemed to have a weight to it. 

“You,” Ignis growled.

“What?” Noctis said, taking a step forward. 

Ignis lurched to his feet and took a stumbling step towards them. 

_Talk again, Gladiolus_ , he thought, _so I can find you._

“I’m heading to camp,” Gladio said, turning away.

“You,” Ignis snarled. Noctis gasped when he felt Ignis rip magic from him. Ignis’ hands were suddenly on fire.

Prompto and Noctis looked at each other, then at Gladio.

“What did you do?” Prompto asked.

“Nothing,” Gladio snapped.

“Exactly,” Ignis hissed, fire cracking in his hands. “You walked right by me when I needed help. You LEFT ME!”

Gladio paused. Noctis was staring at him.

“You left him?” Noctis’ voice was cold.

Gladio turned to face Noctis. “You need to realize we can’t be dragging a blind man with us into the Empire. We should’ve had Cid take him back to Duscae after Altissia.”

Ignis listened hard, trying to pinpoint where Gladiolus was. He was going to kill him. 

“What the hell, Gladio?” Prompto said, taking a step closer to Ignis. “Ignis is one of us. We can’t just break up the Chocobros!”

“Enough with that stupid name!” Gladio yelled. Prompto gasped and took a step back. Ignis felt another wave of rage rip through him. He almost didn’t feel the pain behind his eyes anymore. He was so angry it felt like his entire body was consumed with fire.

“Shut up, Gladio,” Noctis snapped. He turned his back on Gladio and started walking towards Ignis.

“You have a duty, your Highness,” Gladio spat. The title sounded sarcastic. “You need to accept that Ignis can’t help you anymore. He’s not going to be able to wipe your ass anymore because he can’t even wipe his own.” Gladio turned and started walking away.

Ignis snapped. 

Noctis felt Ignis tear more magic from him. Ignis had always been the best at magic after him. Ignis had always taken the magic gently. There was nothing gentle about this. It was like having his skin ripped open.

He looked up in time to dodge sideways as Ignis threw the Firaga spell towards Gladio. He grabbed Prompto around the waist and yanked him out of the way of the fire.

Gladio yelled when Ignis’ spell exploded at his feet. “What the fuck, Ignis?” He ran out of the conflagration, patting the fire on his clothes out.

His hair was singed, and his clothing smoked. He coughed. His throat hurt and smoke stung his eyes, making tears run down his face.

Ignis walked forward slowly, hands out for balance. “Kill you,” he muttered. Prompto and Noctis traded horrified looks. Noctis let go of Prompto and put a hand on Ignis’ chest.

“Ignis, Ignis, stop.”

“I want him to hurt, Highness. I want him to bleed.”

Noctis had never heard Ignis sound like that. He had never known Ignis to want to cause anyone pain. Yes, he was good at fighting, but he did it because it was his duty. He was good at it because he was good at everything he did.

“Ignis, I know, believe me, I know.” He put pressure on Ignis’ chest, pushing the man back a step. “Don’t let this change you, Iggy.”

“He walked right by me,” Ignis said. His voice was rough. His throat was raw from screaming. The smoke from his fire spell burned his nose.

Noctis pressed closer to Ignis. Ignis leaned on him slightly. He was shaking, although from rage or pain Noctis didn’t know. 

Noct glanced at Prompto. “Get Gladio to the Haven and start setting up camp. We’ll be along in a few.”

Prompto nodded and walked over to Gladio. “Let’s go,” he said shortly. He put his hand on Gladio’s arm and dragged him away.

Noctis looked up at Ignis. “He’s not worth it, Ignis. He’s not worth your hate.” He wrapped his arms around Ignis’ waist and pressed his face against his shoulder. “Don’t let him change you. No matter what he says, I need you. I love you, Ignis. Don’t change, Ignis.”

“Noctis?” Ignis whispered.

“I’m here, Ignis.”

“I’m…I would’ve killed him,” Ignis said softly. 

“I know. I couldn’t let you, you know that, right?”

Ignis nodded, his arms slowly coming around Noctis.

“I’m as pissed at Gladio as you are,” Noctis said softly, “and as much as I don’t want to admit it, I need him. I need to talk to him.”

“He walked right by me,” Ignis whispered. “I fell and he walked right by me. He walked so close to me that I could feel him, and he kept walking.”

Noctis closed his eyes. He felt a surge of anger at Gladiolus, at fate, at everything. He didn’t want Ignis to hurt. He wasn’t sure if Ignis and Gladio could be in the same camp right now, let alone the same planet.

He pressed his lips against Ignis’ neck, trying to convey without words how much he loved him, needed him. 

“I’ve never hated anyone like that before,” Ignis said softly. “It…it blocked everything else out…even you.”

Noctis pulled back and looked at him. 

“I forgot everything but my desire to destroy everything Gladiolus loved. I wanted to make him hurt like I hurt. I wanted to gouge his eyes out and leave him shattered and alone.” Ignis took a deep breath and tightened his arms around Noctis. 

“I’m not going to leave you, Ignis,” Noctis whispered against his neck. 

Ignis buried his face against Noctis’ hair. He almost told Noctis about what Lunafreya had said in his dream. 

He didn’t. He didn’t want to be the one to add that burden to Noctis’ shoulders. He knew though; Noctis would be leaving him.

It was only a matter of time.

Noctis tilted his face up and kissed Ignis gently on the mouth. He tasted faintly of sulfur, an aftereffect of the fire magic.

“Do you think you’ll be okay in camp tonight? I’ll make sure Gladio stays away from you. And me, actually.”

Ignis nodded. “I’ll manage.”

“I know you will, Ignis. You’re strong. The strongest man I’ve ever known.”

Ignis didn’t feel strong. He felt like he was barely hanging on. He felt like he was adrift and barely keeping his head above blood filled waters.

Noctis leaned down and picked up Ignis’ cane. He pressed it into Ignis’ hand.

Ignis took a deep breath. If Noctis thought he was strong, he would try to be strong for Noctis.

Until the end.


	10. Now-The Memories of the Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Gladio remembers and the author stops promising when shit is going to happen because this story just keeps dragging me around by the hair and making me bend over and take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio centric chapter, which was interesting to write. We finally get to see a bit of this train wreck from Gladio's side. So, you probably guessed from the summary that Noct and Gladio don't face each other in this chapter. I would promise next chapter, but honestly, who the fuck knows at this point? This chapter took me in a surprising direction.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now

Gladio slammed the last stake into the ground. Prompto worked silently. The silence had a weight to it.

Gladio sighed. “Say it.”

Prompto turned and looked at him. “Why? Why did you do it?”

Gladio stood up. “I wanted you both to see that we shouldn’t have brought Ignis down here with us.”

Prompto looked up at him. “I don’t think that’s it.”

Gladio rocked back, eyes narrowing. “I think I know my own feelings, Prompto.”

“I’m not saying you don’t, I just think you’re lying to yourself.” 

Gladio glared at him, arms crossed. “Fine. Why did I do it?”

Prompto opened one of the camp chairs. “Because you’re hurting, too.”

Gladio’s arms fell to his side.

Prompto set up the other camp chairs. “You’re blaming yourself, Ignis is blaming himself, Noctis is blaming himself. It’s a massive blame party.”

Prompto looked up at him, tears shining in his eyes. “What none of you seem to get is that it isn’t anyone’s fault but the Empire’s. Even if you and Ignis had been with Noctis when the Hydrean appeared, you wouldn’t have been able to change anything. You’d both be dead and Noctis would be alone. Gods know I can’t protect him by myself.”

Gladio stared at Prompto. The kid was more insightful than everyone gave him credit for. 

“Everyone reacts to pain differently, Gladio. Noctis withdraws, you lash out, and Ignis is hiding from us, trying to stay strong and failing miserably.”

“What about you?” Gladio asked stiffly. “Aren’t you hurting too?”

Prompto hit Gladio. “Of course I’m hurting, you ass! You think I like watching my best friends, my only friends, self-destruct? I feel like I’m standing outside, watching the three of you slide away, and no matter how much I yell and try to get to you guys, I can’t. So, I try to be there for everybody, but you all make it so fucking difficult! Gods, can’t you guys just talk about it!”

He spun away from Gladio, angrily wiping tears from his eyes. Gladio watched him, a frown tugging at his face.

Prompto turned back to Gladio. “If Noctis was going to quit, he would’ve done it already. He’s still here, Gladio, still fighting. But he needs us to be strong. He needs us to be united behind him.”

“Prompto…” Gladio said, watching as Prompto began to pace the length of the camp. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I left you guys for two months. I’m just, sorry.”

Prompto looked at him. “I’m not the one you need to apologize to, Gladio. You left Ignis. You walked right by him when he needed help. Can you imagine what it’s like for him?”

Prompto took a deep breath. “You were right when you said Ignis is worse off than the rest of us, than Noctis, but imagine for a second that you were Ignis. Ignis has no one but us, and you wanted to pawn him off on people we barely know. He can’t see, and I’m pretty sure he’s in pain all the time, but he still does his best to hold it together, to hold us together.”

Gladio sighed, bowing his head. Prompto was right.

Gladio had failed Noctis. He was his shield, and he was supposed to be there to take hits for the king, but he hadn’t been able to take this hit. He had failed Ignis. He remembered finding Ignis in the rubble after Altissia, unconscious. It had taken him a day to find Ignis amongst the wreckage of the city. He had thought Ignis was dead. Ignis had looked dead, face covered in blood, glasses nowhere to be found. 

He carried Ignis’ limp body back to the hotel. Someone had brought Noctis and Lady Lunafreya. It took one look at the Oracle for Gladio to know she wasn’t going to make it. Noctis was unconscious, pale, bruised. Prompto looked wan and withdrawn. He leapt to his feet when Gladio walked in carrying Ignis’ body.

“Oh! Oh, no!” Prompto cried.

“Get the doctors,” Gladio said roughly, gently setting Ignis on his bed. Prompto ran from the room to grab the doctors. Gladio went to the bathroom and wet a towel. He walked back out and froze, staring at Ignis. 

There was so much blood on his face. The left side of his face was completely covered in blood. Much of it had crusted on his face, but the left side seemed to be leaking fresh blood. Gladio knelt on the bed, gently wiping the blood from Ignis’ face. 

He reached Ignis’ left temple and bit back a gasp. His entire left eye and temple was covered with a raw wound. Fresh blood welled up as Gladio wiped the crusted stuff away.

“Gods, Ignis,” Gladio muttered, “What happened?”

The door flew open and Prompto rushed in, another man at his heels. It was the doctor that had been working on Noctis and Lady Lunafreya.

“Have you tried any curatives yet?” the doctor asked briskly, scanning Ignis quickly.

“No,” Gladio said, “I just started cleaning him up.”

“Good. You,” the doctor glanced at Prompto, “go get more clean rags and warm water. You lift his head, gently! Try not to jostle his neck.” Gladio set down his rag and gently grasped Ignis’ head and lifted it. The doctor spread a towel under his head.

“Alright, set him down.”

Prompto came back with the rags and a bowl of warm water. He bit back a sniffle. Ignis looked terrible, far worse than Noctis had. He looked nearly as close to death as Lady Lunafreya.

The doctor directed Gladio to continue cleaning Ignis’ face. More blood welled, staining the towel beneath him. 

“That’s a lot of blood,” Prompto said softly. 

“Head wounds bleed a lot,” Gladio said roughly. Prompto knew that, of course. They had all been hit on the head before, but he had never seen anything like this.

The doctor tilted Ignis’ head and leaned close to his face.

“Has he woken up at all?”

“No,” Gladio said, grabbing a clean rag. “He hasn’t reacted at all.”

The doctor frowned. He reached over and pulled Ignis’ right eye open. Gladio stifled a cry.

Ignis’ entire eye was blood red. Blood dripped from his eye. Gladio couldn’t even make out his pupil. The doctor looked at his left eye, carefully prodding it. 

“This one seems almost fused shut,” the doctor muttered. Gladio could see other small cuts on Ignis’ face, but nothing compared to the wound over his left eye and temple. His face was a mass of bruises.

The doctor flushed Ignis’ right eye, but it was still blood red. He took a pen light and shined it in Ignis’ eye. He frowned. There was no pupillary response. 

The doctor handed Prompto a potion. Prompto cracked it over Ignis, the curative absorbing into his skin. 

Gladio’s heart sank. The wounds were still there. The doctor frowned again and tilted Ignis’ head back and forth.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. The wounds should be healed.”

“They look older, now,” Gladio said. “They look like scars that have been there for a while.”

“Hmmm….” The doctor pressed another potion into Prompto’s hands. Prompto cracked it, and they all watched as the wounds around Ignis’ eye looked older, but didn’t disappear. The doctor looked completely perplexed. 

He peeled Ignis’ right eye open again. It was still bloody. The wounds had healed to old scars. The doctor shined the light into Ignis’ eye again. Still no response.

“Have you ever treated wounds received from the Empire before?” Prompto asked softly. Gladio looked at him sharply.

“You think this is because of something the Empire did?”

Prompto shrugged, looking uncomfortable under the heavy scrutiny. “Just a thought. They have all that technology…”

“It’s a possibility,” the doctor said.

“Doctor,” Gladio said, wiping a little remaining blood from Ignis’ cheek, “is he going to be able to see again?”

The doctor looked down. “I don’t know, signore. I just don’t know.” He scanned the rest of Ignis’ body. “He doesn’t have any other major injuries.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a long, black cloth.

“Lift his head again,” the doctor said. Gladio did, and watching with a frown as the doctor wrapped the cloth around Ignis’ eyes.

“Keeping his eyes closed might help his vision,” the doctor said softly. He stood up. “I need to go back and check on the king and the Oracle. Someone should stay with him.”

“We can split our time between him and Noct. Thank you, Doctor,” Prompto said quietly. The doctor nodded and gathered his things and walked out.

Gladio brushed a strand of hair back from Ignis’ forehead. “I’m so sorry, Ignis.”

Gladio thought he was going to lose both Noctis and Ignis. Neither one of them woke for days. Lady Lunafreya passed on the third day, a smile on her face as she looked at Noctis. And then her body disappeared.

No one knew what happened. They had moved her body into a private room, respectfully covered. Prompto had gone in later and her body was gone.

Ignis had woken up a few hours after that. 

Gladio had been sitting with him, reading a book and trying not to think about Lunafreya’s body vanishing. He heard Ignis moan and he dropped the book, lunging across the room to kneel at Ignis’ side.

“Ignis? Can you hear me?”

“Gladio?” Ignis’ voice was rough from disuse. 

“Yeah, I’m here,” Gladio’s voice cracked.

“What is around my eyes?” Ignis’ hand touched the blindfold. With a gasp, he tore it off.

“Ignis, no! You need to keep your eyes closed!”

Ignis opened his right eye. His left wouldn’t open. “I can’t see,” Ignis said. “Why can’t I see?” His voice was rising. Gladio’s heart sank. Ignis’ right eye was weeping blood.

Gladio swallowed. “You were hurt. You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

Ignis touched his own face, recoiling in shock when he felt the scars. “Noctis?” he croaked suddenly, his hand grasping for Gladio.

Gladio took it. “Noctis is unharmed. He got the blessing of the Hydrean, but…”

“What?” Ignis asked. Gladio could feel him trembling, hear the panic in his voice. “Where is he?”

“He’s in the next room. You need to calm down.”

“Just tell me what happened!” Ignis snapped.

“Lady Lunafreya is dead. Noctis is unconscious, has been for four days. I found you three days ago in the rubble. You were hurt. Doctors have never seen anything like your injuries. Nothing seems to heal them.”

“Prompto?”

“Unharmed. He’s sitting with Noctis.”

Ignis struggled to sit up.

“Whoa, Ignis, what are you doing?”

“I need to go to him.”

“No, Ignis. You need to rest,” Gladio pressed his hand against Ignis’ shoulder, pushing Ignis back onto the bed. Ignis started to fight him. Gladio pinned him to the bed. Ignis bucked and snarled, trying to get away from Gladio.

“Doctor!” Gladio bellowed. The door crashed open and the doctor and Prompto rushed in. Ignis managed to catch Gladio’s hip with a well-placed kick. Gladio grunted. Prompto grabbed Ignis’ other arm. The doctor pulled out a sedative and injected it into Ignis’ arm. 

“Noctis, Noctis…Noct…is…” Ignis went limp.

The doctor pulled open Ignis’ right eye and frowned. “Still no change. What set him off?”

“He wanted to go Noctis,” Gladio said, massaging his hip.

The doctor sighed. “We’ll keep him sedated until the king wakes up. Blindfold him again.”

Prompto wiped the bloody tears from Ignis’ face before covering his eyes again. 

One day later, Ignis woke up screaming from a nightmare. Gladio nearly got stabbed for grabbing Ignis’ shoulders. Gladio decided then that he would watch over Ignis.

If only Ignis would let him. 

Two days after Ignis woke, he managed to slip away from Gladio into Noctis’ room. He was with Noctis when Noctis finally came to. Ignis told him about Lunafreya.

Prompto and Gladio had been sitting in the small living room. Gladio had thought Ignis was in his room, sleeping. He had been the last time Gladio had checked. He was as surprised as Prompto when the door to Noct’s room opened and Ignis stumbled from the room.

Prompto was on his feet, arms going around Ignis as the taller man collapsed. “He’s awake,” Ignis whispered. He sounded devastated. Prompto lowered him to the ground as Gladio walked by them to check on Noctis. 

Ignis lay half in Prompto’s arms, face buried against the blonde’s neck. 

“I am blind,” Ignis whispered.

Gladio pulled himself out of his memories. Prompto was looking at him sadly, setting up the last of the camp chairs. 

“I think of it every day, too,” Prompto said softly. Gladio looked at him. They both turned when they heard slow footsteps approaching the Haven.

Ignis and Noctis appeared. Noctis had a hand on the small of Ignis’ back. Neither one of them said anything. Noct led Ignis to one of the camp chairs and Ignis sat down slowly. He clung to his cane, face turned away from the others.

Gladio opened his mouth, but closed it when Prompto touched his arm.

“Now might not be the best time, Gladio,” he said softly. “Just…let it be tonight, okay?”

Noctis walked over to the cooking station and frowned. “We have Cup Noodles and tin can chili.”

“Well, can’t be worse than those breakfast specials,” Prompto said, trying to cover the strained silence between Gladio and Ignis.

“Iggy?” Noctis said. 

“The chili, please,” Ignis said softly, his shoulders hunched slightly. It was hard listening to someone else moving around the camp stove. That was his spot.

“Gladio wants Cup Noodles,” Prompto said, taking two cups and pouring hot water in them.

Noctis set about heating up the chili for him and Ignis. He could do that much. Gladio snatched his Cup Noodles from Prompto and sat down. He stared into the steaming cup, then stood up with a grunt and went and sat away from everyone else.

Noctis stuck a fork each of the cans and carried them over to Ignis. “Here,” he pressed one into Ignis’ hands. Ignis took it and nodded his thanks. Noctis dragged one of the chairs closer to Ignis and sat down. 

Prompto glanced between Noctis and Gladio, and sat next to Ignis with a sigh. The three of them ate in silence. Prompto noticed that Noctis sat close enough to Ignis that their knees touched.

Prompto pulled his camera out and frowned. He had taken some pictures during the day. There was one of Noctis, looking grim and determined. There was one of Gladio, kneeling in front of the control panel with Noctis, a smirk on his face. There was one of Ignis, cane out, walking carefully.

“Did you take any good ones?” Ignis asked softly.

Prompto wanted to burst into tears. Even after everything, Ignis was still trying to keep his spirits up. Noctis frowned. He just looked sad.

“Not really,” Prompto sniffed, hastily wiping his eyes. “The lighting sucks in this place.”

Noctis took Ignis’ empty chili can from him. He stood up and dropped the cans into the garbage. He went back and decided to sit at Ignis’ feet. He dropped onto the ground, leaning against Ignis’ legs.

Ignis started slightly, then relaxed. He put one hand on Noctis’ shoulder. Noctis leaned his head back against Ignis’ thigh and closed his eyes. 

Prompto raised his camera and snapped a quick picture. He saw Ignis tilt his head towards him, but he didn’t say anything about the sound of the camera.

After a while, Prompto stood up. “I’m going to bed. See you guys in the morning.”

“Night,” Noctis said, not opening his eyes.

“Good night, Prompto,” Ignis said softly. 

Gladio didn’t say anything from his position sitting on the cooler.

Ignis’ hand clenched on Noctis’ shoulder. Noctis opened his eyes and looked up at Ignis. 

“You okay?” he asked softly. Ignis looked terrible. He was pale, cheeks stained with bloody tear tracks. Noctis covered Ignis’ hand with his and squeezed gently. Ignis managed a tight smile.

He hurt everywhere. Coming with them had been a terrible idea. He had been tense the entire time, and his muscles were letting him know it. His throat was raw from screaming. His shoulder was bruised from falling.

He felt useless.

Noctis squeezed his hand again and stood up. He took a potion and handed it to Ignis. “Here, this should help.”

Ignis pushed it back. “You should save them. You don’t know what you’re going to face tomorrow.”

Noctis sighed. Ignis was right, of course. They had a limited number, and no one knew what they would face the next day.

“I don’t want you to hurt, Ignis,” Noctis said softly. Ignis reached up with one hand. Noctis took his hand. Ignis tugged it gently, and Noctis stepped up to him. 

“There is nothing you can do, Noctis,” Ignis said softly. “I will manage.”

“I don’t want you to manage,” Noctis said, trying not to let his frustration show, “I want you to be pain free.”

Ignis leaned his head forward, his forehead coming to rest on Noct’s stomach. Noctis ran his fingers through Ignis’ hair. Noctis could see how tight Ignis’ neck muscles were.

Pressing his forehead into Noct’s warm stomach seemed to alleviate some of the pain in his head. Ignis wasn’t sure if it was actually helping, or if it was his imagination, but he didn’t care.

Noctis still wanted to touch him, even after Altissia.

Noctis pressed his fingers against Ignis’ neck and began kneading the tight muscles. Ignis groaned, pressing his head harder against Noctis’ stomach. Noctis’ fingers paused.

“Is this okay?” Noct asked. He didn’t want to cause Ignis any more pain.

“Don’t stop,” Ignis managed. Noctis smiled weakly. He had never given anyone a massage before. He hated getting the things himself, although he thought he would be okay if it was Ignis giving him one. He just didn’t like strangers touching him. 

He centered himself in front of Ignis and pressed both hands against Ignis’ shoulders. He had never seen or heard of someone giving a massage from such a weird angle, but he was loathe to make Ignis move. 

The feel of Noctis’ hands inexpertly kneading at his tense muscles was heaven. Tension leaked from Ignis. He had been so tense all day.

Gladio turned his head slightly and paused, his mouth hanging open. Noctis was standing in front of Ignis, and the taller man had his head buried against Noct’s stomach. Noctis’ hands were kneading Ignis’ shoulders, back, and neck. 

Gladio felt a moment of shock. Ignis had violently declined any offer of help from him and Prompto, and had flinched when they touched him. And yet here he was, pressed against Noctis with the prince’s hands digging into his back.

Gladio thought it was a little strange. Neither Noctis nor Ignis were fans of casual touching, and they seemed entirely comfortable with each other. When had that happened?

Ignis had known Noctis a long time, and had been his constant companion for most of his life, but Gladio had never seen them seem so…at ease with one another. 

He continued watching them out of the corner of his eye. He still wasn’t sure that Ignis needed to be around Noctis, and he definitely didn’t think that they should’ve brought him down here. 

Still, he was glad to see Ignis relax slightly. The man had been so tense since they left Altissia. Had he been wrong to keep Ignis away from Noctis? He didn’t know.

He watched as Noctis stepped back and tilted Ignis’ head back. His fingers gently drew circles on Ignis’ cheeks. Gladio frowned, his eyes widening as Noctis leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against Ignis’ lips.

Oh.

Gladio turned away, staring into his empty Cup Noodles like he could see the future there.

When had that happened?

Why hadn’t he realized? 

He was angry at himself. It was his job to watch out for the prince, and he had completely missed this. Two men that he had known for most of his life and they had managed to keep it a secret.

Had it happened when he left them for two months? Had it happened before they left Insomnia? It couldn’t have happened after Altissia, so it had to be before, right?

Did Prompto know?

He sighed. It didn’t matter. So, Noctis and Ignis were a thing. It was just another reason they shouldn’t have brought Ignis with them. Romantic feelings could just get in the way.

He would force Noctis to talk to him tomorrow, before they set out for Tenebrae. He’d force the prince to see reason.

That’s what the shield did. When Noctis couldn’t think, he did it for him. When Noctis couldn’t fight, he was there. He was just going to have to force him to see that Ignis couldn’t handle it anymore.

It was going to hurt.

He knew now that Prompto had been right. Noctis would never forgive him.

FFXV

Noctis stroked Ignis’ cheeks. “Better?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Ignis whispered. Noctis pressed his thumb gently against Ignis’ lips.

“Anytime.” He lowered himself to the ground next to Ignis. He rested his head back against Ignis’ thigh. 

They sat there in silence, the only sound was the fire crackling. Ignis wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard Gladio walk by.

He tensed, mind going blank with remembered rage. He heard the zipper to the tent and he assumed Gladio went in when he heard it zip back up.

He wished he could cry without it hurting. He was breathing hard, fists clenched. He started when he felt Noct’s hand pry his hands open. Noctis didn’t say anything; he just held Ignis’ hand. They sat like that for a while. The tent went silent. 

Noct’s head grew heavy against Ignis’ thigh. Ignis’ squeezed his hand.

Noct lifted his head and blinked at him. 

“You should go to bed, Noctis,” Ignis whispered. 

Noctis yawned. “I’m good.”

“No, you’re not. You don’t know what you’re going to face down there tomorrow. You need sleep.’

“We.”

Ignis tilted his head. “What?”

“We. _We_ don’t know what _we’re_ going to face down there. You’re coming with us.”

Ignis was silent for a moment. 

“I shouldn’t have come.”

“Don’t say that!”

“I’m just in the way. I can’t do anything useful and having Prompto focus on me is taking his focus away from you. Gladio was right.” Ignis’ voice cracked. He swallowed, trying to get himself under control.

“No, he wasn’t. Look, Ignis, you’re not useless. Being blind hasn’t made you stupid and you’re still the smartest man I’ve ever met. You a master strategist, and let me tell you, we’re going to need that. If it was just me, Gladio, and Prompto, we’d just charge right in and get our asses handed to us on a silver platter. We need you, Ignis. I need you.”

Ignis bowed his head. Noctis stood up and wrapped his arms around Ignis’ shoulders, pulling the other man against him. 

“I need you, Ignis. I’ll always need you.”

Ignis’ arms went around Noctis’ waist. Noctis stroked his back. 

“Thank you,” Ignis whispered against him.

Noctis dropped a kiss on the top of Ignis’ head and yawned. Ignis squeezed him and let go.

“Go to sleep, Noctis.”

Noctis looked down at him. “What about you?”

“I’m just going to sit here. I have a hard time falling asleep. I will just sit here and enjoy the fire.”

Noctis tilted his head. 

“You don’t want to wake up panicking in the tent with the others.”

Ignis nodded. “That too.”

“Okay. If you’re sure,” Noctis said. 

“I’m sure.” Ignis reached up and Noctis took his hand. Ignis squeezed his hand, tracing his fingers over Noctis’ palm. “Sleep well, Noctis.”

Noctis snorted. He gently disentangled himself from Ignis and walked to the tent. He paused after unzipping it, glancing back at Ignis.

Ignis’ face was turned towards the fire, light dancing over his face, reflecting strangely off the scars. He ducked into the tent. Gladio was on his side, Prompto pressed against the bigger man’s back.

Noct pulled his boots off and crawled into his bag. The tent seemed bigger with only three of them in it. He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.

He wished Ignis was next to him, but he understood. At least, he was trying to.

FFXV

Ignis listened intently until he couldn’t hear any noises coming from the tent. He took his gloves off and stuck them in the cup holder on the chair. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

The fire toasted the front of him. It was a gentle heat, not like the burning rage he had felt earlier that day. He had been telling Noctis the truth when he had told him that he had never felt a rage like that before.

He hadn’t realized that it was possible to feel rage like that. It had blocked everything else out. It had hurt; it seemed to have flared up the pain behind his eyes.

He sighed. Thank the gods Noctis had been able to talk him down. He would’ve never forgiven himself if he had actually hurt Gladio. He would have to be careful. It wasn’t fair to the others for him to lash out at them because he was hurting. He would hate himself if he hurt them because he couldn’t handle his pain. When he could think clearly around Gladio, he’d have to apologize to him.

When he could breathe around the man without falling into that pit of rage.

He took a deep breath. There were ways to manage to his pain. Noctis wouldn’t like it. Hell, he didn’t like it, but slicing into his skin seemed to help.

It wasn’t like he would be able to see the scars.

He still didn’t want the others to know. Noctis would probably figure it out, but the others couldn’t know. 

It helped.

He could feel his pulse pounding behind his ruined eyes. 

It helped. 

Ignis’ dagger appeared in his hand. He lifted his shirt.

It helped.

He pressed the dagger against his ribcage, under his arm. It was exquisitely painful there. He dragged the dagger across his skin in one swift movement. He felt blood trickle from the wound. 

He hissed. As the blood welled from the wound and snaked its way down his side, it seemed to alleviate some of the pain behind his eyes. 

He sliced himself again. 

And again.

Again.

He wasn’t sure how long he sliced shallow cuts into his side. Finally, the dagger disappeared back into the void. He slumped in the chair. His shirt was sticky with blood, but his eyes didn’t hurt.

He would rest here, for a moment. The pain was quieted. His rage had leaked out of him like his blood.

He would rest.

FFXV

Gladio opened his eyes. He could feel Prompto’s body pressed against his back, and he could hear Noctis’ steady breathing. Ignis wasn’t in the tent. 

Gladio sat up and crawled out of his sleeping bag. Prompto muttered and rolled into the spot of warmth Gladio’s body had left. Gladio unzipped the tent and stepped out. 

The fire was low. Gladio walked over to and stoked it. He turned to face Ignis and froze.

The man was slumped in the chair, chin resting on his chest. His hands hung loosely at his side. Gladio took a step closer. There was a large, dark, wet spot on Ignis’ shirt, on his side under his arm. 

Gladio knelt next to Ignis and touched his side gently. He pulled his fingers back and looked at them. They were bloody. He closed his eyes.

Gods, no.

He lifted the edge of Ignis’ shirt. Shallow cuts crisscrossed Ignis’ skin. A few still leaked blood, but most had clotted. He dropped the shirt and stood up, pacing across the camp. 

He paused, staring down at Ignis’ hands. He frowned and leaned over to look. The back of Ignis’ knuckles were scabbed and raw. It looked like teeth marks.

“Fuck,” Gladio muttered.

Ignis was hurting himself. There was no other explanation for it. Gladio ran his hand through his hair. 

He hadn’t expected this. 

He wondered if the others knew. 

Now he was even more convinced that Ignis couldn’t come with them into Tenebrae and beyond. He clearly wasn’t in a good mental state, not if he was cutting himself. If they had left him in Altissia, he could’ve gotten help from someone. 

He shook his head. 

Prompto had said that he thought Ignis would kill himself if they left him. Looking at the man, Gladio thought that maybe Prompto was right once again. 

With a sigh, Gladio grabbed one of the extra blankets and draped it over Ignis’ shoulders. He didn’t want Ignis to suffer, but he couldn’t keep up. He had been in the way during the battle, and then after…

Gladio dragged his hand over his face.

He shouldn’t have done that. He shouldn’t have walked by him. He didn’t regret much in his life.

He regretted that. The moment he heard Ignis scream, he knew. He knew that he had gone one step too far. 

He hadn’t expected Ignis to retaliate with violence. He couldn’t shake the expression that had been on Ignis’ face, or the low growl of his voice. 

Gladio had felt a moment of true fear. Ignis had always had perfect control over every emotion. Seeing his perfect control shatter had been terrifying. 

He remembered the flash of heat from Ignis’ fire spell exploding at his feet. He looked into the darkness at the edge of the camp. 

Tomorrow he would make Noctis see reason. Tomorrow he would talk to Ignis, and try to get the man to accept help. He couldn’t keep cutting himself.

Tomorrow they would set out for Tenebrae.

But one of them wouldn’t be coming. 

Gladio would make sure of it.


	11. Now (the Judgement of Kings)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis gives Gladio a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The confrontation!  
> Anyway, I don't have a whole lot to say on this chapter. It's pretty long. I hope you guys enjoy the drama. 
> 
> As always, let me know what you think!
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Prompto lay in the tent. Noctis was sleeping, curled on his side on the far side of the tent. Gladio was right next to Prompto, one arm thrown over Prompto’s waist. Prompto had woken up the moment Gladio had left the tent. He had lain there, listening intently in case Gladio and Ignis had started fighting.

He hadn’t heard any raised voices, and Gladio had come back after a few minutes. He had thrown himself back into his sleeping bag. It had taken him awhile to fall asleep again. He had seemed agitated.

Prompto couldn’t fall back to sleep. He was worried about Ignis. He couldn’t get the image of those nasty wounds on Ignis’ thighs out of his head. He couldn’t get the sound of Ignis’ scream of rage out of his head, or the look on his face when he said he wanted to kill Gladio. 

With a sigh, he shimmied out from under Gladio’s arm. He slowly unzipped the tent and slipped out. 

He paused. There was a blanket wrapped around Ignis’ shoulders. Had Gladio put it around him? Prompto dropped into the chair next to Ignis and stared into the fire. He rubbed his eyes. 

He wished everything was back to normal. 

He snorted. “Yeah, and if wishes were chocobos, beggars would ride.”

Ignis started awake, jamming his fist into his mouth and biting down hard. Prompto stared. 

“Ignis?” Prompto whispered.

Ignis froze, taking deep breaths through his nose. His head finally came up and he turned to face Prompto.

“Prompto?” Ignis asked, his heart thundering.

“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep. You okay?”

Ignis lowered his hand. Prompto could see fresh blood on his knuckles. Ignis shrugged. 

“As well as can be expected,” Ignis said softly. He fingered the blanket and frowned. “Did you give this to me?”

Prompto was silent for a moment. He wondered if he should tell Ignis that Gladio had been the one to wrap him in the blanket. 

“Ah,” Ignis said. He shifted, wincing as the cuts on his side stretched. 

“You okay?” 

“Fine.”

Prompto sighed.

Ignis tilted his head towards Prompto. “Are you okay?”

Prompto glanced at Ignis. 

“I don’t want to complain. I feel like I don’t have the right to complain, not with you and Noctis…”

“You have the right to feel too, Prompto.”

Prompto stared into the fire. “I finally got to meet Lady Lunafreya, ya know? Did you know I had found her dog, Pryna, when I was a boy? That’s how I became friends with Noctis…eventually. Anyway…”

“That’s why you wanted to meet her?”

“Yeah. She wrote me, to thank me. After Noct and Lady Lunafreya were brought to the hotel after the fight, she…she took the time to talk to me, to thank me for being Noct’s friend…I was the last person she talked to…”

Prompto could feel the tears welling in his eyes. He wiped them away angrily. “I feel like I haven’t been a good friend. I haven’t been able to help any of you lately. I just wish…I want…” he started crying. 

Ignis reached out, his hand finally touching Prompto’s shoulder. He squeezed his shoulder.

“I know,” Ignis said roughly, “believe me, Prompto, I know. Cry, Prompto. No one can see you.”

Prompto looked at Ignis. “I…” 

Ignis gave him a sad smile. 

“How can you be so strong, Ignis? How can you sit there after everything you’ve been through in the past month and still care about us?”

Ignis turned his head back to the fire. He didn’t really know how to answer. 

Prompto covered Ignis’ hand. “I admire the hell out of you, Ignis. I would’ve curled up in a tiny ball and would still be bawling hysterically in Altissia if it happened to me. I think you’re doing a hell of a job.”

Ignis was silent for a moment. “Thank you, Prompto.”

They sat in silence, the only sound the crackling of the fire.

“You should try to get some more sleep, Prompto.”

“Yeah…I know. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

“I will manage.”

“Do you need anything?”

Ignis clenched his fist. He felt blood trickling down his side. “Can you grab my bag?”

“Sure thing.” Prompto stood up and unzipped the tent, poking his head in. Gladio and Noct were both still sleeping deeply. He grabbed Ignis’ bag and brought it out to him. 

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, um…see you in the morning.” Prompto squeezed Ignis’ shoulder and slipped back into the tent. He dropped onto his side next to Gladio. His eyes still felt gritty from crying. He sniffed, closing his eyes. Maybe he would dream of something happy.

FFXV

Ignis reached into his bag, fingers grasping around for a shirt. He had a sinking feeling that Gladio had seen the cuts on his side. Just thinking about Gladio caused the pain in his eyes to flare up. He would have to be careful to keep his anger under control. It seemed anything that raised his blood pressure caused the pain to rise. 

He took a deep breath and pulled a t shirt from his bag. He draped it over the arm of his chair and started unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled it off, feeling the cloth stick to the wounds. It had been stupid to cut himself while the others were asleep in the tent. 

But he couldn’t stop. 

Prompto was wrong. Ignis wasn’t strong. He was weak. He was selfish. 

If he was truly strong, he would’ve stayed behind. He would’ve been able to let Noctis go. 

He wasn’t that strong. 

He dropped his head into his hands. He was a weak, broken man.

He was selfish. He wanted to stay with Noctis as long as he could.

He wanted to be with Noctis until the end.

He touched the wounds on his side. His fingers traced the shallow cuts. Each touch reignited the pain. 

With a disgusted snort, he pulled his t shirt over his head. He shoved the bloody shirt back into his bag and tugged the blanket tighter around his shoulders. He could feel the warmth of the fire sinking into his skin.

He would sit here until the others woke up. And then they would find the generators and get to the tomb. 

And he would be with Noctis.

Wouldn’t he?

FFXV

Gladio woke up first. He got dressed and slipped out of the tent. He glanced over at Ignis. He had the blanket wrapped around him, shoulders hunched. He was tense.

Gladio sighed. He had no idea how to approach Ignis after what he had done yesterday.

“Ignis?” Gladio said softly. 

Ignis turned his head away. 

“Ignis, can I-“

“I would rather you did not,” Ignis said stiffly. Gladio could see his hands clenched around the cane. He had put his gloves back on and had changed shirts.

Gladio threw his hands in the air and stalked away to the edge of the camp. 

Ignis shivered. He knew he should let Gladio talk to him. He knew that. 

But he couldn’t. He was afraid to be alone with Gladiolus. He was afraid of the rage that rose in him like a monster erupting from the sea every time Gladio was near him. He was afraid of what he wanted to do to the bigger man. 

He was afraid that he would enjoy hurting the other man, and then where would it stop? Would he hurt Prompto?

Would he hurt Noctis?

No, he couldn’t be alone around Gladiolus. He rested his forehead against the cane. 

Gladio sat alone on the edge of the Haven, his head cradled in his hands. He slammed his fists into the ground. Everything was falling apart. How could he talk to Ignis when the man wouldn’t even let him?

He wasn’t sure how long the two of them sat on opposite ends of the camp, prisoners of their own thoughts. It seemed like an eternity. 

Finally, Prompto stepped out of the tent. He paused. He could feel the tension and glanced between the two men. He went back into the tent and kicked Noctis gently in the side.

“Wake up,” Prompto said. “I can’t handle both of them alone.”

Noctis groaned. He blinked and looked up at Prompto.

“What?”

“Ignis and Gladio.”

Noctis sat up suddenly. Prompto was surprised at how quickly Noct seemed to wake up. He lurched to his feet.

“Did something happen?”

“I don’t think so,” Prompto said. “Super tense out there, though.”

Noct groaned and shoved his feet into his boots. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Prompto looked at him.

“What are you going to do about them?” he asked softly.

“I have no idea. I need both of them, but after what Gladio did yesterday…”

“I know. I can’t believe he would do that. I…”

Noctis looked at him as he pulled his jacket on. “What?”

“I’m afraid Gladio’s going to leave us again,” Prompto whispered, looking away. “He left us for two months, and then yesterday…I just…”

“I know,” Noctis said. He stared at his feet for a moment. “I’m afraid Gladio’s going to make me choose.”

“Choose what?” Prompto asked softly. He thought he knew.

“Between him and Ignis.”

Prompto nodded. Noctis didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t have to. Prompto knew who Noct would choose, and after yesterday, he didn’t really blame him.

FFXV

They had broken camp quietly after eating a hurried, strained breakfast. Prompto took up his position near Ignis as they left the camp. It didn’t take long for him to fall into chatting softly at Ignis.

Ignis half listened. Prompto wasn’t really talking about anything, but his soft words helped to drown some of the tension Ignis felt.

They had found the generators, and Noct had gotten them working. They slowly made their way back to the control panel. Noct flipped the switch again, and Prompto let out an excited yell when the machinery started up.

“Sounds like everything is in order,” Ignis said.

“Yup,” Noctis said. He led the way back down to where the equipment had blocked the path the day before. 

Prompto hummed as he helped Ignis over the large tree branches. Noctis was fairly far ahead of them, and Prompto frowned when Gladio surged past them. He felt Ignis tense when the big man walked by them. 

Gladio reached Noctis and grabbed his arm.

“Hey, hold up.”

Noctis sighed and turned to face him. Gladio was surprised at how hard Noct’s eyes were.

“Yeah?”

Gladio blew out a breath through his nose. “You sure you’re ready for this? You got what it takes?”

Gladio thought Noctis needed a swift kick in the ass. Gladio would do whatever it took to get Noctis to see that Ignis was dead weight they couldn’t afford. Gladio would do whatever necessary to get Noctis to accept his role as king.

“To do what?” Noctis asked, his voice low.

Gladio wanted to grab his shoulders and shake some sense into him. “To face your ancestors and ask them to grant you strength. You’ve got a long road ahead. Can you see this through, to the end?”

Gladio crossed his arms, staring down at Noctis. 

“As if I have a choice,” Noctis sneered. His mind went back to his time with the Ignis of the past. He remembered how Ignis had said he wanted to take Noctis far away, hide him from the future. He wished he had taken Ignis up on that offer. 

Then he thought of the Ignis after Altissia. He thought of his father. He thought of Luna. He thought of all the people who died in Crown City when the Empire attacked. He thought of everyone who had died, who had sacrificed everything.

For him.

“You think I like the idea of people sacrificing themselves for me, one after the other?” Noctis snarled softly, looking up at Gladio.

Gladio dropped his arms. “Enough. Forget it.” This boy would never be king. He walked by Noctis and paused. “I thought you’d accepted your duty. I thought wrong.”

Noctis’ chin dropped to his chest, a sigh escaping his mouth. He just wanted this to be over. Whatever happened, he just wanted it to end. 

He glanced up as he saw Ignis and Prompto making their way slowly towards him. He turned and continued downhill.

“This cave is huge!” Prompto said.

“The tomb is further in?” Ignis asked.

“Maybe you should wait here,” Gladio said. Ignis tensed

“Enough, Gladio,” Noct said. “We all go down there, or none of us do.”

Gladio snorted and went silent. If Noctis wanted to get Ignis killed, what was it to him?

Ignis lifted his head and sniffed.

“Yeah,” Prompto said, his nose wrinkling, “something stinks. Don’t slip and fall in whatever it is.”

“Thanks for that visual,” Noctis muttered. They finally reached a large lake. Noctis paused in front of the tomb entrance.

“Are those eggs?” Gladio asked. “I hate eggs.”

“Since when?” Prompto asked, staring at hanging egg sacs.

“Since those breakfast specials.”

“Fair point,” Prompto muttered, his hand on Ignis’ arm. “What if they start hatching?”

Ignis tilted his head. Was there something in the water with them? He could hear the water boiling behind them. He tensed. “Prompto…”

Prompto spun. “Oh my gods! Is that a mouth?! Is that’s its face?”

“What?” Ignis asked, reaching for Prompto’s arm. “What is it?”

“Something real bad!” Noctis yelled.

Ignis could hear the others fighting. He felt another wave of sadness. Useless. Useless. That’s all he was. 

“I’m covered in drool,” Gladio yelled. 

“That’s disgusting,” Prompto called back. Ignis heard Noctis grunt as he hit the water. 

“Someone tell me what it is!” Ignis yelled. No one answered. He let out a frustrated snarl. If someone would only tell him what they were fighting, maybe he could help!

Something slammed into his chest, sending him flying. He landed in a heap. He was pretty sure he had a broken rib or two. Breathing was incredibly difficult. 

He managed to lift himself to his hands and knees. His cane was gone.

“I think we’re screwed, guys!” Prompto yelled. “The eggs are hatching!”

“That’s disgusting,” Gladio muttered, slamming his sword into one of the hatchlings. He couldn’t see Ignis. 

Noctis was thrown halfway across the cave. He warped out, landing lightly on his feet. Where was Ignis? He looked around wildly. He couldn’t see him anywhere. 

The big, ugly, plant creature that Gladio finally recognized as a Malboro spun towards Noctis and raced towards him. How a giant plant could move that fast was beyond him.

“Noct! MOVE!” Gladio bellowed. Noctis warped again, dodging out of the way. Gladio was pissed at the prince, but he didn’t want him to die on his watch. Especially by being eaten by a giant plant.

“Thanks!” Noct had to admit that it was nice to fight alongside Gladio again. The man was good at fighting. Unfortunately, Noctis didn’t think they were going to be able to swing their way out of this fight.

Ignis painfully pushed himself to his feet. He leaned against a rock that was beside him, his hand cradling his chest. Gods, it hurt to breathe. 

He heard the sound of Noctis summoning the Armiger. They weren’t doing well. He took a shuddering breath, wincing. He had to do something. 

It had a mouth. They had to seal the mouth. He reached into himself, down the bond that tied him to Noctis. He concentrated on that bond, trying to feel what Noctis was feeling. He shoved all the pain in his body away. 

He could save Noctis.

He froze. He could save Noctis only to have him die later. If…If Noct died now, it would save him from so much pain and horror. 

Ignis felt ashamed of himself. It wasn’t his choice. He couldn’t do that to Noctis. He would lead the man he loved to his death. He felt angry at himself. 

Fire. Fire had been so close to the surface for Ignis the last few days. He would use that fire. 

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered. He straightened up as best he could, one hand still pressed against his ribs. He felt a fire orb appear in his hand. He concentrated on the sounds of the battle. The sound of the other three men fighting for their lives. The sound of the enemy splashing around in the water. 

He could almost tell what direction it was facing. The roars got louder whenever it faced him. He waited. 

He heard Prompto scramble by him. The roar got louder. Ignis blocked the pain again and cocked his arm back and threw the Firaga spell with all of his might.

He heard a strangled gasp and a muffled explosion. Everything went quiet.

The pain came roaring back like a tidal wave. Ignis’ knees buckled. He couldn’t breathe. 

Noctis stopped, his mouth hanging open as he stared at what was left of the Malboro. Flaming bits of plant matter rained down around them. Gladio and Prompto looked just as shocked. He spun in time to see Ignis collapse. He rushed over to him.

“Ignis, you did it,” he whispered. Ignis didn’t respond. Noctis dropped to his knees next to the other man. He could hear Ignis trying to catch his breath. He touched Ignis’ shoulder and let the healing magic sweep through Ignis.

Ignis took a shuddering breath and tilted his head towards Noctis. “Get the weapon, Highness.”

Noctis nodded and stood up. Prompto walked over to them. 

“Here,” he said, “I found your cane.”

“Thank you, Prompto,” Ignis whispered. Noctis and Prompto helped Ignis to his feet. He leaned back against the rock. It was still a little hard to breathe. 

“Thank you, Ignis! We’d be plant food without you!”

Noctis walked back over to the tomb entrance, still covered by eggs.

“Whisking ‘em just makes a mess,” Gladio said, standing by the entrance, “better fry them.”

Noctis threw a fire spell at the door. He and Gladio stood there, listening to the screams of the Malboro Sprouts burning in their egg sacs. Noctis unlocked the door to the tomb and walked in. 

The water nearly reached over the effigy of the old king. Noctis reached out and the katana rose from the grip of the dead king and shot into Noct’s chest. He stared silently as the Royal Arms danced around him. He had so many, now. 

He wished he was a normal man. He wished he could just live near a good fishing spot with Ignis, somewhere away from the city, so they could watch the stars at night. Everything would be right with the world. His father would live nearby, and would be happy for his son and his son’s lover. Maybe Prompto and Gladio could come visit, because Gladio and Ignis would get along again. 

It wasn’t meant to be though. He knew that. Gladio was wrong. He had accepted his duty. Gods, he wished he hadn’t, but he had. 

He could do nothing less than accept it. For Ignis. 

“Let’s get moving,” Gladiolus said.

“Let’s,” Prompto agreed. 

Noctis walked out of the tomb. He glanced at Ignis. His face was tight, hands clasped on the cane. He wanted to talk to him. Ignis had saved their asses.

“A moment, if you please,” Ignis said. His voice was a little gravelly. The others stopped.

“Everything okay?” Prompto asked. He immediately wanted to kick himself for asking that.

“It most bloody well isn’t. I won’t listen to everyone’s pointless bickering in silence any longer.”

Gladio crossed his arms and looked away. 

“Let’s be frank,” Ignis ground out, “my vision hasn’t improved, and it probably won’t.”

Noctis looked at him. He wanted to reach out and hold him. He wanted to apologize again. But he knew that Ignis wouldn’t stand for it. Not now. Ignis would tell him there was no need to apologize, because Ignis had already forgiven him.

“Yet…I would remain with you all. Til the very end,” Ignis’ voice had gotten softer. He knew what the end was.

“Sorry, but I object,” Gladiolus said. “War is a matter of life and death.”

“But we’ll be there!” Prompto said.

“It’s not about us looking out for him!” Gladio yelled, taking a step closer to Prompto. Why couldn’t they get this through their heads?

“Then he should be free to choose!” Prompto yelled back.

“It’s about more than what he wants!”

“I know full well!” Ignis snarled. “I will not ask you to slow down. If I cannot keep up, I will bow out.”

“What says ‘His Majesty’?” Gladio asked with a sneer.

“He’s coming with us,” Noctis said softly. Gladio spun to face him.

“You can’t bring him with us just because you’re fucking him!”

Gladio knew he went too far. Ignis’ face went white. Prompto covered his mouth in shock. 

Noctis suddenly understood what Ignis had said about rage. He saw red.

Gladio opened his mouth to apologize, but he never got the chance.

Noctis’ fist came out of nowhere. It slammed into Gladio’s jaw, rocking him back. Noctis swung his leg out, sweeping Gladio’s out from under him. He knew the only reason he had managed to take Gladio down was that the other man hadn’t expected Noctis to attack.

Gladio landed on his ass in the water. He pushed himself to his feet and froze.

A sword rested against his throat. He looked up. Noctis had the Engine Blade in his hand. The point of the blade was against windpipe. 

“Kneel,” Noctis growled. Gladio didn’t move. “Kneel!” Noctis snarled, pressing the blade harder against Gladio’s throat. His eyes were glowing. A trickle of blood ran down Gladio’s neck. He swallowed hard, and lowered himself to one knee before Noctis. 

He had only knelt before Noctis once before.

FFXV

_The Past_

_Eighteen year old Gladiolus Amicitia stood next to his father. Clarus put his hand on his son’s shoulder._

_“Are you certain this is what you wish to do?”_

_“Yes, Father.”_

_Clarus nodded and opened the door to the throne room. The two men strode into the room. King Regis sat on the throne. Noctis stood next to him, and Ignis Scientia stood behind Noctis, unobtrusively taking notes._

_Clarus fisted his hand over his heart and bowed from the waist. Regis nodded to him, and Clarus walked up the steps to stand opposite Noctis._

_Gladiolus dropped to one knee before them._

_“Why are you here today?” King Regis asked._

_“I am here to become Shield to Prince Noctis.”_

_“Are you here of your own free will?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“And this is what you desire?”_

_Gladiolus looked up at the king. Regis leaned forward, staring at the young man kneeling before them._

_“It is, your Majesty,” Gladiolus said._

_Regis turned his head and glanced at his son. Noctis gave a half shrug. Regis turned back to Gladiolus._

_“Then, if you truly want this, recite the oath.”_

_Gladiolus took a deep breath. “I, Gladiolus Amicitia, son of Clarus, swear to you, King Regis Lucis Caelum, that from this hour into the future I will be faithful to you and your son, with regards to your lives, and the members of your body, in good faith and without deception. I swear to uphold the ideals of the House of Lucis. I will defend against all who would strike against you, be they enemies from outside or those plotting from within. I swear to shield you from harm and take any and all strikes that are aimed against you. This I will do faithfully and without deception. May the Six witness my oath, and strike me down if I speak untrue.”_

_Regis looked at Noctis. He nodded._

_“On behalf of my son, who will be king, I accept your oath. Rise, Gladiolus Amicitia, Sworn Shield of my son, Noctis Lucis Caelum.”_

_Gladiolus rose slowly to his feet. His eyes locked with Noctis’, who gave him a wry smile, and then with his father, who smiled at him proudly._

_Gladiolus had finally joined the long line of Amicitia shields._

FFXV

Gladio knelt before Noctis, the blade against his throat. He lowered his head, staring fixedly at the water. 

Noctis’ hand was steady. He never thought he would be here, forcing his friend to kneel before him with a sword to his throat. He never wanted this. He never wanted to be king. 

He remembered what Ignis had said to him, when he had told Ignis how Gladio wouldn’t let him close to him after Altissia.

_“Be the king I know you are. Make him decide if he truly wants to be your shield, with all that means and entails.”_

Prompto’s mouth was hanging open. He glanced at Ignis. Ignis had his head bowed, a solemn expression on his face.

“I don’t understand,” Prompto said softly. “What’s Noct doing?”

Ignis lifted his head and turned his face towards Prompto. “He is being king. It is his right as king to pass judgement on those sworn to him.”

Ignis had purposely spoken loud enough for Gladio to hear him. Gladio’s face went white. Noctis was going to sever his oath.

Oh, gods, what had he done?

“Gladiolus Amicitia,” Noctis’ voice was hard, and there was a trace of sadness under it. “You once told me you had embraced your duty as shield and that you took pride in it. You said that when I can’t focus, you focus for me. You swore to defend me, to be my shield. A King’s Shield remains by the side of the king, unless they are released by the king. In the long history of Lucis, there has never been a shield severed from his oath.”

Noctis took a deep breath. His voice trembled slightly, but the blade remained perfectly steady. “And then you left. You left us. You left me. I thought you needed a couple of days. We had been through a lot, and I knew that if my father was dead, yours would’ve died first. That’s what the King’s Shields do. Defend the king to death, if necessary.”

Gladio closed his eyes.

“I thought you needed a few days alone, to grieve for your father, for the life we left behind. But then a few days turned into a few weeks, and that turned into two months. We almost lost Ignis during that time.”

Prompto had never heard Noctis sound like this before. His voice had taken on a more formal register. He sounded like King Regis. He had never heard him say so much at one time before. 

“During those two months, I realized that we had come to depend on you. Your strength, your near callousness. You kept us going, you kept us safe. And then you left.” He wanted to drive that point home. “I don’t know what you did during those two months, and to be honest, I don’t particularly care.

“When you came back, you were different. Harder, colder, more impatient. You pushed us. But you were never cruel. Until yesterday. Yesterday, you abandoned a man who needed you. You left him when you knew it would hurt me. And today, you said what you did because you wanted to hurt us.”

Gladio opened his mouth to retort, but Noctis pressed the blade harder against his throat. “I haven’t given you permission to speak,” Noctis said softly. Gladio’s mouth snapped shut. 

“I could let Ignis do whatever he wants to you for retribution for what you did, but I won’t. I’m going to give you a choice, Gladiolus.”

Gladio looked up. He could see tears swimming in Noct’s eyes, but the blade was still steady. Gladio felt a surge of pride, even here, throat bared before Noctis. Noctis was finally acting like a king.

“Your choice is this: you can swear yourself as my shield through Oath, Blood, and Magic, or when we get back to the surface, you leave, and I never see you again.”

Gladio’s eyes were wide. The old ritual of Oath, Blood, and Magic hadn’t been used in at least 100 years, as far as Gladio was aware. 

Noctis lowered the blade. “I am going to walk over to Ignis and Prompto and I’m going to heal their battle injuries. When I come back, I want your decision. But I do want you to consider one more thing, Gladiolus. What would your father think of what you have done?”

Noctis turned and walked stiffly over to Ignis and Prompto. Prompto’s eyes were wide. He didn’t really understand what was happening. Noctis put his hand on Prompto’s shoulder, letting healing magic flow through him. He wanted to know what Oath, Blood and Magic meant, but he was too scared to ask.

He turned to Ignis and touched his ribs. Ignis bowed his head slightly.

“Your Majesty,” he whispered. Noct’s face screwed up slightly. He had always been ‘Highness’ before. It was the first time Ignis had addressed him as king. 

He healed Ignis again. It had always been easier with Ignis. His magic moved easily through his advisor. He bowed his head. He was delaying going back to Gladio.

Gladio remained kneeling, staring into nothing. Noctis’ last sentence to him had been a low blow indeed, but it got Gladio thinking.

What would his father think of him? 

Clarus would’ve been livid that Gladio had left. It was his job to make sure Noctis was ready for whatever they faced, and he had failed. He had fled. He had abandoned his post, his sacred duty.

He bowed his head. He blinked back tears. He tried not to think of his father. Gladio was luckier than many. He still had some family left. Iris had gotten out of the city, but his father had remained behind. With Regis. 

Until the end. 

Gladio knew what he had to do. 

He heard footsteps approach him and opened his eyes. He could see Noctis’ legs standing in front of him.

“Your decision, Gladiolus,” Noctis said softly.

Gladio looked up and held his hands out. His Greatsword appeared in his hands. He lifted his head and met Noctis’ eyes. 

“Before the gods, I, Gladiolus Amicitia, swear to be true and faithful to my lord and king, Noctis Lucis Caelum, and to love all that he loves, and shun all that he shuns, according to the gods’ laws and the world’s principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do ought what is loathful to him; on condition that he keep me as I am willing to deserve, and know that my sword and my life are his.”

Noctis didn’t move. He stared down at Gladiolus, on one knee before him, sword carefully offered. He had a dark bruise forming on his jaw from Noct’s fist. A dagger suddenly appeared in Noctis’ hand. Noct’s hand whipped out, a blur of motion. 

Prompto cried out, but Ignis managed to grab his arm. “No, Prompto. You cannot interrupt this.”

Gladio felt the blade bite into his scalp. He felt blood trickle down his forehead. He blinked blood out of his eyes, watching in silence as Noctis sliced the blade across his palm. Blood welled across his hand. 

The dagger disappeared and Noctis stepped forward. He pressed his bleeding hand against Gladio’s head. Gladio hissed. It stung.

He felt Noctis’ fingers dig into his scalp, and their blood mixed in his hair. Noctis’ eyes were glowing again. Gladio could feel Noct’s magic wrapping around him. He swallowed hard. 

“I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, last of the House of Lucis, King of Lucis, hear your oath and hold it binding. Should you break your oath to me, the House of Amicitia will fall to ruin, your name shall be stricken from the histories, and you shall forever be known as Gladiolus Oathbreaker.”

Gladio gasped. His head tingled where Noctis’ blood mixed with his. He felt Noct’s magic bind to his wrists and around his neck.

“You are bound to me,” Noctis said, lifting his hand. The cut on his palm was healed, a faint scar visible. The wound he had sliced into Gladio’s scalp was healed as well. “I hope you don’t regret this. There’s no going back now.”

Gladio swallowed. “My king, I will never regret this.”

Noctis looked down at him. He felt sick. He could feel his magic binding Gladiolus to him. His skin prickled with unspent magic. He hadn’t wanted to do that. He had just cursed his friend.

Prompto looked at Ignis. “What just happened? I thought Gladio had sworn to be his shield before.”

Ignis nodded slowly. “When Gladiolus was eighteen, he knelt before King Regis and Noctis and swore himself into their service. That was a simple oath of fealty. This…this is far more permanent. Noctis bound Gladio to him through Gladiolus’ oath of loyalty, both their blood, and Noctis’ magic.”

“What happens if Gladio breaks that oath now?” Prompto asked.

“What His Majesty said; the House of Amicitia will fall, Gladiolus won’t be remembered in the histories of Lucis, and wherever he goes he shall be known as Oathbreaker. It is an old ritual, and an old curse.”

“A curse?”

Ignis tilted his head. “It was meant to make sure they always remained loyal to the king. In a way, it is a curse. It means the end of a house to break one’s oath. To my knowledge, after someone is bound through blood and magic, they have never betrayed that oath.”

Prompto glanced back at Noctis and Gladio. Gladio was still kneeling, staring up at Noctis.

“Are you bound to him like that?” Prompto asked Ignis.

Ignis’ lips curled in a smile. It was the first time Prompto had seen him smile since Altissia. 

“I am bound to him through blood and magic, yes.” It didn’t seem like Ignis was going to expand on that sentence.

“What about the Oathbreaker part?” Prompto asked. “Sorry I’m asking so many questions. I don’t understand…”

“It’s fine. To be called Oathbreaker is essentially a death sentence. No one will deal with someone known as Oathbreaker. Why would anyone? It means that the person deals in lies and deception. They are alone in the world, with no one but themselves and whatever remains of their conscience.”

“Oh,” Prompto said softly. He turned his eyes back to Gladio. 

Noctis sighed. “You may rise, Gladiolus.”

Gladio got slowly to his feet. He fisted his hand over his heart and bowed to Noctis. Noctis nodded gravely and they both turned and walked back to the others. 

The binding had healed Gladio’s wounds from the Malboro. He stared at his hands. He was bound eternally into Noctis’ service. He was a true shield now. There hadn’t been a true shield since the old rituals had fallen out of favor. 

Ignis sighed quietly. He was thinking something similar. 

Gladiolus was last of the true shields.

The four of them stood there, in silence. Noctis could feel the tension rolling off Ignis.

“Let’s head back up. The train isn’t going to wait forever,” Ignis said softly. He knew that Gladio had just bound himself irrevocably into Noctis’ service, but he was still angry at him.

He was still hurting.

But he was good at hiding it. He always had been.

Gladio saw the look on Ignis’ face and sighed to himself. He still had to fix what he had done to Ignis. 

Noctis nodded. “You two go on ahead,” he said to Gladio and Prompto. “I need to speak to Ignis.”

Gladio nodded. He and Prompto walked slowly back up the path they had followed to reach the cave. 

Noctis turned and looked at Ignis. He was tense again, his hand clasped around the cane. Noctis started to shake. He suddenly felt exhausted. The magic that had filled him to bind Gladiolus was gone, leaving him aching and tired.

“Ignis…” he said softly. He could hear the tears in his voice.

Ignis rested his cane against the rock and reached out, pulling Noctis against him. Noct’s arms came around his waist, clinging tightly to the other man. Ignis rested his cheek against the top of Noctis’ head.

“You did well, my king.”

“You’re not mad at me for binding him like that?”

“No, Majesty. You were right yesterday, when you said that you needed him. You did what was necessary. You did well.”

“I don’t feel like I did well,” Noctis muttered into Ignis’ chest. “I feel like I forced him.”

“You are the king, Noctis, and I think he finally realized that. You know the binding wouldn’t have worked if he had been lying.”

“Are you guys going to be okay?” 

Ignis tensed. Noctis pulled back and looked up at Ignis’ face. “Talk to me, Ignis.”

Ignis bowed his head. “I…”

“You can tell me.”

“I am afraid to be alone with him. I still want…whenever he’s near me I feel the rage from yesterday. I want to hurt him.”

Noctis didn’t say anything. He just tightened his arms around Ignis’ waist. 

“Do you know what I wanted to do to him, Noctis?”

“What?” Noctis asked softly.

Ignis turned his face away. “I wanted to gouge his eyes out and shove a fire spell into them so he would know what it feels like to be blinded. I wanted him to rot down here.”

Noctis blinked. Ignis’ voice was hard.

“That’s why I’m afraid to be alone with him. I’m afraid of what I’ll do to him.”

Noctis rested his head back against Ignis’ chest. He could hear Ignis’ heart pounding under his ear.

“I understand, Ignis. I’ll make sure either me or Prompto is with you when he’s around. I’ll tell Gladio not to try to talk to you alone for a while.” He paused. “Do you think you’ll work through it?”

Ignis bowed his head again. “With time.”

How much time did they have? He didn’t know. For Noctis, he would try to work through his issues with Gladio. They were both bound to the king. They had to work together.

Noctis smiled suddenly. 

“I haven’t thanked you yet.”

Ignis frowned. “For what?”

“You saved all our asses. Like Prompto said, without you, we’d be plant food.”

Ignis felt for Noctis’ face. Noct leaned into his hand, feeling Ignis’ fingers dance over his cheeks.

“I couldn’t let you die,” Ignis whispered. 

Not yet. Not until the time was right. Ignis bit back a cry. What a horrible train of though. 

Noctis smiled and went up on his toes, pressing his lips against Ignis’. 

“Even if I die, I take your love with me.”

Ignis’ arms tightened around him. He didn’t want Noctis to die at all. 

Noctis finally pulled back. “We should catch up with the others. This place stinks.”

Ignis nodded. Noctis intertwined their fingers and slowly led Ignis from the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The oaths that Gladio gave Noctis were modified from ones found on this site:
> 
> http://www.dragonbear.com/fealty.html


	12. Now-The Car of Kings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis talks to his car and Gladio has a surprising revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. Not much happens here. I hope you are all still enjoying this story, because it got so much longer than I thought it would. When I thought of this story, it was THREE chapters long and basically an excuse for Noct to go back in time and bang Ignis. I was not expecting it to turn into this. Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you stick with me til I finish it. Shouldn't be too much longer (However, not gonna promise anything. This story isn't done making me take it yet)
> 
> Hints of Promptio in this chapter, kind of?
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now

Gladio leaned against the side of the elevator, staring at his hands. He didn’t feel any different. He wondered if he should. 

He had felt Noctis’ magic wrap around his wrists and throat. He massaged his wrists. He had never felt anything like it before. He had always been aware of Noct’s magic, of course. He had been able to pull from Noctis for years.

He had never realized just how powerful Noctis’ magic was. Kneeling before his king, staring into his glowing eyes, his life had been in Noctis’ hands.

It was terrifying and humbling. 

Noctis could have severed his oath. He could’ve sent him away.

Noctis gave him a second chance. Gladio took it.

Prompto watched him. Gladio was quiet, but he didn’t seem tense, like he had been since Altissia. He seemed completely at ease.

“Are you okay?” Prompto asked.

Gladio looked at Prompto. Prompto was dirty. His clothes were wet and covered with mud and other things. His face was smudged, hair a mess. Gladio was pretty sure he didn’t look much better.

“I am. Are you?”

Prompto glanced away, and then looked back. “Yeah.”

“You’re a mess, you know that?” Gladio asked.

Prompto snorted. “You should look in a mirror, buddy.”

Gladio laughed. “I bet.”

He kept looking at his wrists. 

“Do you feel any different?” Prompto asked softly.

Gladio glanced at him. “I don’t know. I never imagined I’d be kneeling before Noctis, his sword at my throat…”

Prompto kept quiet, waiting.

“I thought he was going to sever me from his service, Prompto, and I was scared. Fuck that, I was terrified. All I ever wanted was to be the King’s Shield. I wanted to make sure Noctis was strong enough to be king, to fight for himself. I’ve been training with him since he was a kid.”

Gladio sighed, looking down before glancing back up at Prompto. “The King’s Shield is supposed to be there for the king, no matter what. They’re supposed to stand by their side and protect them, sometimes from themselves.”

“You thought you were protecting him from himself after Altissia?”

Gladio nodded slowly. “Yeah. I thought that if he was around Ignis, he wouldn’t pull himself out of that dark place. He would keep blaming himself for Ignis and Lady Lunafreya. I didn’t want Ignis to be around him because I figured…I thought Ignis would pull him down more. He would slow us down.”

Prompto leaned against the wall next to Gladio. He listened intently. Gladio liked that about Prompto. The man was a good a listener. 

Gladio smiled wryly. “I was so absorbed with trying to get Noctis past his pain, I didn’t take the time to look at Ignis. Sure, I told Noct that Ignis was worse off, but I only meant because of his eyes. I didn’t realize that Ignis had started cutting himself.”

Gladio nudged Prompto with his shoulder. “You were right, you know?”

Prompto looked confused. “About what?”

“I was blaming myself. I wasn’t there to protect Noctis in Altissia. I wasn’t there to do my job. And…when I left you guys, I…”

Prompto touched Gladio’s arm. “You don’t have to tell me. The way I see it, you came back. And today…you didn’t leave. I was afraid you were going to leave.”

Gladio looked at him sharply. Prompto shrugged self-consciously.

“Honestly, these past few weeks it seemed like you wanted to leave. You’ve been, well, you’ve been a total and complete asshole. You’ve been a dickweed, a cock-humping ass burger.”

“A what?” Gladio snickered.

“Cock-humping ass burger,” Prompto said, trying desperately to keep a straight face.

“I have never been called a ‘cock-humping ass burger’ before,” Gladio said.

“First time for everything,” Noctis’ voice came from behind them. Gladio and Prompto turned to see Ignis and Noctis walking slowly to them.

Gladio’s eyes dropped to their laced fingers. His eyes came back up. Noctis glared at him, daring him to say anything. Gladio lifted his hands in surrender.

“We ready to get back up there?” Noct asked.

“Gods yes,” Prompto said. “We seriously stink. Like, oh gods, we smell so bad. I’m never gonna get this stink out of my clothes. Or my shoes. And my socks are soaked. And my undies.”

“Alright, alright!” Noctis said with a laugh. “TMI, dude.”

“We shouldn’t have any problem getting a train car to ourselves,” Gladio said dryly, punching the elevator call button. 

“We could clear the whole train,” Prompto said, lifting his arm and sniffing. 

The elevator arrived. Noctis tugged Ignis’ hand and led the silent man in. The others followed. Gladio pushed the button and the doors shut, whisking them back to the surface.

FFXV

 

Gladio and Prompto were in their compartment. Noct had pulled Ignis into his, and Gladio wasn’t going to argue. 

“Hey, Prompto?” Gladio asked. They were clean, finally. The train was staying one more night in Cartanica and pulling out in the morning.

“Yeah?” Prompto was lounging on his bed, staring at his phone.

“What were you going to say before Noct and Ignis came back?”

Prompto rolled to a sitting position. “You mean after I called you a cock-humping ass burger?”

Gladio smiled, dropping onto his bed. “Yeah, after that.”

Prompto was silent for a moment. He stared at his bare feet. “You don’t know what it was like without you. Honestly, if the Cockatrice hadn’t nearly killed Ignis, he probably would’ve dropped dead of exhaustion. Everything took longer. Ignis was working twice as hard, trying to keep us trained. We weren’t a whole lot of help, honestly. Noct and I…well, we got over confident, which is why Ignis almost died.”

“What happened?” Gladio asked quietly.

“About what you’d expect. Noctis and I were on top of the world. We were having a competition, you know, who could kill more baddies. Ignis tried to get us to take it seriously, but…we didn’t. We were joking around. I was taking pictures of Noct in front of an almost dead Chickatrice when the mom showed up. We weren’t expecting it. It threw Noct, and Ignis dove after him. He managed to shove Noctis out of the way of another strike, but the Cockatrice got him.”

Prompto swallowed hard. “I thought he was dead. There was so much blood. His clothes were ruined. And to top it off, we had run out of curatives. Ignis was bleeding to death and we had nothing to heal him with.”

Gladio sat up, staring at Prompto. 

“Noct lost it. He destroyed the entire nest of Cockatrices and Basilisks. He tore up his shirt to bandage Ignis up as best he could. We got Ignis back to the car, but we had no money, no curatives. The only option we had was Cape Caem. Noctis drove. Cor did what he could, but it was touch and go for five days.”

“Then what?”

“Ignis recovered, but the delay in treatment left him with scars. After that, we made our way to the Vesperpool and Ardyn cleared the way for us to go into the dungeon. Aranea was cool. Then she took us back to Lestallum and we met up with you.”

Gladio stared at his hands. 

“Cor was pissed that you weren’t there,” Prompto said suddenly. “He wanted to set out and find you, beat some sense into you. Noctis told him to stand down. Cor was not happy about it, but he listened.”

“So you thought I was going to leave again?” Gladio asked after a moment.

Prompto looked at him. “The last few weeks haven’t been easy on anyone. And like I said, you’d been acting like an ass to all of us. I thought you would jump at the chance to leave.”

Gladio was silent. “I’m sorry I gave you that impression,” he said softly.

Prompto gave a half shrug. “You didn’t leave. That’s the important thing.”

They sat in silence. They could hear other people moving about the train. Prompto yawned and fell back onto his bed.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Gladio said suddenly.

Prompto turned his head and looked at Gladio. “News alert, big guy, life isn’t easy. The four of us just got thrown into the deep end of the shit pool is all. We were keeping our heads above the shit pretty well until Altissia. We just have to relearn how to swim.”

Gladio stared at him. Prompto smiled wryly and closed his eyes. It didn’t take long for his breathing to even out and his face to go slack with sleep. Gladio just sat there.

Prompto had been pretty damn enthusiastic the entire trip. He had bolstered all of them. He listened when Gladio worked with him on fighting, and had no problems waking up early to go for a run. Gladio was surprised at how much Prompto seemed to enjoy running.

Even after what Gladio had done, Prompto still talked to him, was still friendly towards him. Gladio didn’t think he deserved it. 

He sighed. He needed to take a walk. He stood up, staring down at Prompto. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss against Prompto’s forehead.

“I’m not leaving,” he whispered against Prompto’s skin. He could smell Prompto’s shampoo. “Not again.”

Gladio slid the door open and slipped out.

FFXV

Ignis sat on Noctis’ bed. Noctis was finishing up in the shower, getting the smell off him. He had let Ignis shower first. Ignis hadn’t said anything, just quickly got in, got clean, and got out. 

He was so tired. He was lucky if he slept for more than a couple hours at a time, and his body was starting to let him know it. 

His eyes hurt, but his muscles were sore in ways they hadn’t been in years. He hadn’t been able to do his stretching routines since Altissia. He had tried, but not having a point of reference still made it difficult. 

He felt weak. 

A weak man who wanted to give in to his anger. 

He shook his head violently, which only caused the pain to flare up. It pulsed behind his eyes, mocking him. His careful façade started to crack.

 _You are nothing_ , the pain whispered. You have failed and you will always fail. Noctis stays with you out of pity, not love. How could anyone love you? Look at you, scarred and broken, cutting into your own skin to give you self-worth. The others don’t care about you. They laugh at you, perfect and whole as they are. You should have let them die down there.

“No,” Ignis whispered, curling over.

Why was this happening now? Why couldn’t the pain just leave him alone!

His dagger was in his hand. When had that happened? Ignis didn’t know. He didn’t care. He pressed the dagger against his thigh, slowly dragging the blade across his flesh. He could feel his skin split, muscles screaming in agony.

The mocking laughter of the pain behind his eyes faded. 

He sliced the blade across his thigh again. 

Anything to make the pain go silent. 

Noctis walked out of the small bathroom and froze. Ignis was drawing his dagger across his thigh. Blood welled and dripped onto the floor. Ignis was whimpering.

Ignis was pretty sure he was going insane. Pain didn’t talk. Pain wasn’t supposed to whisper mockingly behind his eyes.

Noctis walked forward and knelt in front of Ignis. The other man didn’t seem to know he was there. Ignis cried out when Noct’s hand gently enclosed his.

“Ignis?”

“Noctis…I, ah, didn’t know you were there,” Ignis said softly, the blade disappearing. Noct reached into his bag and pulled out a potion. He cracked it over Ignis, watching as the wounds knit themselves back together, leaving nothing but faint scars across his thighs.

“I’m sorry,” Ignis whispered, clasping his hands in his lap. 

Noctis sat next to him, the lines of their bodies touching. He reached over and took Ignis’ hand. “For what?”

Ignis gestured helplessly at himself. Noctis dropped his head onto Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis sighed, pressing his cheek against Noctis’ still damp hair. 

“I’m not going to lie and say I understand why you’re doing it,” Noctis said softly, stroking the scars gently, “because I don’t. But I just want you to know that I’m here for you. You need to talk, let me know. You need to work out some aggression by beating something up, just tell me.”

Ignis gave a strangled laugh. He felt more anchored with Noctis holding his hand, head resting on his shoulder.

“I feel like…” Ignis started. Noct squeezed his hand. “I feel like the only thing that’s real anymore is the pain. I didn’t know I could be in this much pain and still function. I feel like if I don’t cut myself, the fire behind my eyes will consume me.”

Noctis turned his head and pressed his lips against Ignis’ shoulder. “How do you feel right now?”

Ignis sighed.

“And don’t you dare say you’re fine,” Noctis said warningly.

Ignis’ lips curled in a half smile. “Of course, your majesty.”

Noctis snorted. “And don’t even start with that. How are you?”

Ignis took a deep breath. “My whole body hurts,” he said softly. 

Noctis sat up and looked at him. “Do your ribs still hurt? That Malboro tossed you pretty hard.”

Ignis shook his head. “Besides my eyes, it’s mostly muscle pain. It was…hard, down there, Noctis. During the fighting…just walking around was difficult. I was…”

“Scared?” Noct asked softly.

“Yes. I have never taken part in a battle I could not see before, and it was terrifying. Just walking around was terrifying. Thank the gods for Prompto. He didn’t seem to mind…I hope he didn’t mind…”

Noctis squeezed his hand. “Prompto would be glued to your side if you would let him. He feels really bad that he left you before Gladio…”

Ignis tensed slightly, then tried to relax. “I sent Prompto ahead. That was not his fault.”

“Yeah, I know. I think he knows too, he just feels bad.”

Noctis listened to Ignis breath for a moment. “Hey, I got an idea. Lie down on your stomach.”

Ignis turned his face to Noctis. “Noct?”

“C’mon. If it hurts, tell me to stop,” he pushed Ignis down gently. Ignis shifted, resting his head on his arms. Noctis threw a leg over Ignis’ hips and settled his weight gently on Ignis’ thighs.

“This okay? I’m not hurting the cuts on your legs?”

“No,” Ignis whispered. “You healed them. They’re just scars.”

“Good. Lemme know if this hurts.” He pressed his palms against Ignis’ back. Gods, the man was tense. He dug his palms in, fingers kneading the muscles. He could feel the three long Cockatrice scars, and multiple smaller ones crisscrossing Ignis’ back.

His hands moved steadily up and down Ignis’ back. He had no idea how to give a massage, but he was willing to try. He pressed into Ignis’ shoulders, then his neck, and back down his spine. 

He could feel Ignis start to relax under him. A soft moan escaped Ignis’ mouth.

“Sleep, Ignis,” Noctis said softly. Noct knew that if he had barely been sleeping, Ignis was probably getting even less sleep. 

Ignis concentrated on the feel of Noctis’ hands digging into his sore muscles. It was inexpertly done, and part of Ignis wanted to instruct him on how to properly give massages, but another part of him, the part that had lived with constant pain for a month, gave in to Noct’s hands.

His mind quieted, and he felt the pain seep out of his body.

He could rest.

He could sleep.

Finally.

FFXV

Noct’s hands slowed and he finally sat back. Ignis was breathing deeply, his face completely relaxed. Noct leaned over and kissed the back of Ignis’ neck before getting off him. He adjusted his pants to try to hide his erection, face flushed.

As much as he wanted Ignis again, he knew there was no way Ignis could handle that right now. Noctis glanced back at the sleeping man, a sad smile on his face. He slipped out into the hallway and opened the door to Prompto and Gladio’s room.

Gladio wasn’t there, but Prompto was. Noctis walked over to him and knelt next to his friend.

“Hey,” Noctis said softly. Prompto’s eyes fluttered open and he blinked at Noctis.

“Wassup?” Prompto asked tiredly.

“Sorry to wake you,” Noctis said, “but can you go stay with Ignis for a bit? I gotta go do something, and I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

Prompto sat up and stretched. “Sure thing.”

“Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

“No prob,” Prompto covered his mouth and yawned. He stood up, grabbing his phone.

“And make sure he’s not alone with Gladio,” Noctis said, watching Prompto slip into his room.

“Got it. Good luck, you know, with whatever,” Prompto said.

“Thanks. Shouldn’t be long.”

Prompto gave him a thumbs up and slid the door shut. Noctis turned and started walking towards the back of the train. He needed to talk to his dad.

He shook his head. The Regalia wasn’t his father, but he felt closer to him when he was in the car. He had to get some things off his chest.

Gladio was sitting in the dining car, and he glanced up as Noctis walked by. He didn’t think Noct noticed him. He waited until Noctis was past him into the next car before he stood up and followed him. 

They needed to talk.

FFXV

Noct slipped into the cargo car that held the Regalia. The car sat silently in the dark, still lovingly detailed from the last time Cindy had gone over her. Noctis smiled wryly and walked around the car, fingers tracing the cool metal.

He opened the driver’s door and got in. He flipped the button to lower the top and sat there for a moment, fingers drumming on the wheel.

He leaned forward and pressed his head against the cool leather of the steering wheel.

“Hey, Dad,” he said softly. “Things have gone to shit lately. Altissia was a clusterfuck. I know, you’d tell me to watch my language, but…seriously, there’s no other word to describe it.”

He closed his eyes. He didn’t notice Gladio standing silently in the dark, watching him with sad eyes.

“I think you’d be proud of me for how diplomatically I handled Camelia though. Ignis was. Of course, Ignis got us into the city by saying we were culinary students. But, it worked.”

Noctis was silent for a moment.

“Ignis was hurt, Dad. Bad. He’s…he’s blind. He’s in pain all the time and I can’t do anything about it and it hurts so much. By the way, I’m not getting married. Luna died for me. I got the ring though. Thanks for that.”

Gladio thought that last part sounded a bit sarcastic.

Noctis ran his fingers over the door. “I haven’t put it on. Gladio said I’m a coward, and maybe he’s not wrong. I saw what the ring did to you, and I…I don’t want to die, Dad…I just…Ignis and I…aw, shit…”

Noctis felt tears roll slowly down his cheeks. 

“I bound Gladiolus to me through Oath, Blood, and Magic, Dad. I made him kneel before and gave him a choice. I never wanted to do that, but he…Dad, I used my magic to tie him to me. I cursed his family if he breaks that oath.”

Gladio shifted silently, listening.

“I wish you were here to talk to me about this. I know you never bound anyone like that, and even your father never had, but it was hard. I thought he was going to leave again. I didn’t actually expect him to want to be bound to me. Especially since I haven’t exactly been what anyone would call a success lately.”

Noctis wiped his eyes. “I wish you could berate me about binding him like you did when I bound Ignis.” Noctis laughed. “You were so unhappy with us. We didn’t even know what we were doing…It was the best thing I ever did, though. Granted, I was seven.”

“You bound Ignis to you when you were seven?” Gladio’s voice came from the darkness. Noctis jumped, head coming up and looking right at him.

“Sorry,” Gladio said softly, suddenly realizing that he had interrupted a rather personal moment. “I’ll go.”

“You can stay if you want,” Noctis said. “We should probably talk, anyway.”

Gladio paused, and then walked forward. He opened the passenger door and dropped into the seat. He closed the door with a snap. 

“So, you bound Ignis to you when you were seven?” Gladio asked again.

Noctis snorted. “Yeah. It was an accident, actually. I was seven, Ignis had just turned ten. We decided we wanted to be blood brothers.”

Noctis lifted his hand and looked at the thumb on his right hand. There was a faint scar in the center of his thumb. “So, we cut our thumbs and mixed our blood and swore to be together forever, when suddenly there was all this magic around us. Neither one of us had any idea what was happening.”

Gladio tried to cover his laugh as a cough. Noctis grinned wearily.

“Well, my dad felt the magic, of course, and came charging into the room. There we were, sitting on the floor, thumbs pressed together and all this power wheeling around us, and my dad just sat on the floor and waited for the binding to finish. Then he proceeded to ream both our asses.

“Of course, I just started crying. Ignis stood between me and my father, determined to protect me. I was afraid Dad was going to send Ignis away, but he finally told us what happened. I had no idea what he was talking about, but Ignis, being Ignis, went and found every book he could on the subject.”

“Sounds like Iggy,” Gladio said softly. “I’m guessing your father was eventually okay with it?”

Noctis nodded. “Not like he had a choice. Blood and Magic can’t be reversed except through death. But I think he realized that there was really no one better to be bound to me…”

“Did anyone know?”

Noct shook his head. “No. My dad kept it quiet and made sure we did too. He didn’t want people to know that I could apparently call on the old magic without meaning to.”

“So…what happened down in the mine…”

Noctis looked at Gladio. “You could’ve said no.”

Gladio shook his head firmly. “No, I couldn’t have.” He sighed. “I actually wanted to thank you.”

Noct’s eyebrows shot up. “Thank me? For cursing you?”

Gladio turned and looked at Noctis straight in the eye. Noct shifted. He had never been entirely comfortable with strong eye contact. 

“For giving me a second chance. A third chance, really. You could’ve sent me away after I abandoned you guys. After what happened to Ignis, you had every right. But you let me come back.”

He sighed. “You weren’t wrong. I was different when I came back. I felt…like we had to get to Altissia as fast as possible. I felt like you weren’t strong enough, so I pushed. I pushed harder and harder. And then…Altissia.”

Gladio ran his hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have left Ignis in that mine. I shouldn’t have walked by him. I royally fucked up.”

Noctis nodded. “Yeah, you did. At least you can admit it.”

“I thought you were going to sever my oath and send me away. When you gave me the chance to stay…to prove myself worthy of being your Shield…I had to take it. I had to prove to you that I was the right man to see you through this. I couldn’t leave you guys again. I don’t necessarily agree with taking Ignis,” he saw Noctis tense and he raised his hands placatingly, “but I will do what I can to help him. If he lets me.”

Noctis slowly relaxed, still staring hard at Gladio. It was almost like he was trying to determine if Gladio was telling the truth or not. 

“I need to apologize to him,” Gladio said softly, “but he won’t let me talk to him.”

Noctis closed his eyes briefly. “He’s afraid to be alone with you.”

Gladio rocked back, eyes wide. “But I wouldn’t do anything!”

Noctis looked hard at Gladio. “He’s more concerned with what he would do to you, not what you would do to him.”

Gladio looked down at his hands. He remembered the look of pure rage on Ignis’ face, the flash of fire at his feet.

“You hurt him,” Noctis said, carefully watching Gladio. “You hurt him when the only thing he’s feeling is pain. He told me he wanted to hurt you. He wanted to leave your body in the tomb to rot.”

Gladio closed his eyes.

“He was so angry, Gladio. He said he didn’t even know it was possible for someone to feel that much rage.” Noctis felt a little like he was betraying Ignis’ confidence, but Gladio needed to know this. “He said he was afraid to hurt you, so he doesn’t want to be alone with you.”

Gladio opened his eyes. “I did this,” he said softly. Noctis looked at him. “I have to fix it, Noct.”

Noctis stared at him. 

“I have to apologize. I have to at least make the attempt. You gave me another chance, Noctis, and I want to use it to set things right.”

Noctis tilted his head. “I’ll talk to Ignis. See if I can convince him to talk to you. Maybe if Prompto and I stand right outside the room?”

“Whatever works for Ignis,” Gladio said. “I know that things can never be the way they were, but…”

“But what?”

“I feel like if I don’t take the opportunity, I’ll never be able to really be your shield. I have to try. Ignis is…was, my friend. I didn’t want to hurt him.”

Noctis sighed. “I know.”

They sat in the Regalia, the train car dark around them. A few days ago, the silence between them would have been strained and angry. It was an easy silence, comfortable. 

“So…you and Ignis?” Gladio asked after a while.

A soft smile curled at Noctis’ mouth. Gladio was surprised. He had never seen Noctis smile like that before.

“Yeah. Me and Ignis,” Noct looked hard at Gladio. “That gonna be a problem?” More than it already had been, Noct thought.

Gladio shook his head. “Nope. But it does explain why you didn’t want to give Iris flowers.” 

Noctis snorted.

Gladio leaned back. “When’d it happen?”

Noctis looked at him. “It’s complicated.”

“We got time,” Gladio said. “Unless you’d rather not.”

Noctis smiled wryly. “Technically, we got together two days ago.”

Gladio blinked. Two days ago he had yelled at Noctis on the train. Two days ago Ignis had snuck out of the room and went into Noct’s, leaving blood on the floor. 

“That…what?” Gladio was confused. They had seemed so comfortable when he had seen them kiss in the mine.

Noctis leaned back against the steering wheel. “After we argued that day, before we got to Cartanica…I went back.”

“Back where?” Gladio asked.

Noctis looked at him. “Before Altissia.”

Gladio’s eyes widened. “What?” he breathed softly.

“Umbra and Gentiana. I have no idea how it works. She said I couldn’t change anything, just that I could escape. After what you had told me that day, well, I needed to escape. So I went back.”

Gladio stared at him in shock. 

“Mostly, I went back to apologize to Ignis. I wanted to see him, without the scars. I wanted to see those green eyes staring at me. It was…harder than I thought it would be. Everything was so normal…” Noct’s voice cracked.

“You…you were sick, weren’t you?” Gladio asked, eyes wide. “You had to have Ignis pull over so you could throw up.”

Noctis looked at him. “You remember, then?”

“I don’t know…I…as you said that, I just started remembering. Ignis and I fought that day.”

“What did you guys fight about? Ignis never did tell me.”

Gladio glanced at him. “You. I said Ignis was babying you, Ignis basically told me to back the hell off and that you would be king when you were ready.”

“Oh.”

“He was right. What you did in the mine…that took a true king.”

Noctis didn’t know what to say. He still wasn’t entirely comfortable with what happened in the mine. Gladio could see that he was uncomfortable.

“So, all that. You being sick, Ignis and I fighting, it really happened?”

“Yeah, it happened.”

Gladio frowned. “How do you know?”

Noctis blushed. Gladio’s eyebrow went up. 

“Ignis and I…I left a mark on Ignis…”

Gladio grinned. “You had sex.”

Noctis shot him a sharp look. “Yes.”

“You bit him.”

“Jeez, Gladio, I do not want to talk about this with you.”

“So, you left a mark on Ignis in a moment of passion. What happened after? Why’d you come back?”

Noctis looked at him and then pulled the ring out of his pocket. “Ignis found it.”

Gladio’s eyes widened. They both stared at the ring. 

“I told him,” Noctis said, voice cracking. He blinked back tears. “I told him that we had been to Altissia already and I told him that he would be blinded.”

Gladio’s mouth fell open. “He knew?” he whispered in horror. Noctis pocketed the ring and looked away. Gladio tried to sort through the strange half memories that seemed to be surfacing in his mind. 

He remembered Ignis leading them around Lestallum, looking at _everything_. Touching things. Staring up at the sky like…

Like he would never see it again.

“Oh gods,” Gladio said, closing his eyes. He tried to imagine what he would’ve done if Noctis had told him something like that.

He would’ve left. He would’ve run.

“He told me it wasn’t my fault. He told me he had always loved me and always would, and then he sent me back.”

Gladio looked at Noctis. He seemed ragged. 

It finally hit Gladio just how much pressure Noctis was under. It had almost seemed like a joke sometimes; leaving Crown City to get Noct married. Even after they got the news that the city had fallen and Noctis was the king, it hadn’t seemed real.

Even after Altissia, it hadn’t seemed real to Gladio. He had thought Noctis would never make a good king. He had thought Noctis was so trapped in his depression and that Ignis was just dragging him down even more.

Gods, how wrong he had been. 

A coward would’ve stayed in the past with the Ignis that was whole and perfect. A coward would’ve run away after and never come back after Altissia. A coward would not have forced a friend to kneel before him and swear an oath of loyalty and fealty.

Noctis Lucis Caelum was not a coward.

Noctis Lucis Caelum was a king.

Without thinking, Gladio reached over the center console and pulled Noctis against him in a rough hug. Noctis gave a startled yelp, face crushed against Gladio’s chest. 

“I’m sorry,” Gladio whispered. Noctis froze against him. “I’m so sorry, Noct.”

Noctis didn’t say anything, but he relaxed slightly against the bigger man. He closed his eyes, letting Gladio hug him. He couldn’t remember the last time Gladio had hugged him. Years, possibly. 

Gladio finally let go, and Noctis sat back up. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. 

“We should probably head back,” Noct said.

Gladio opened the door and stepped out of the Regalia. Noctis flipped the switch to put the top back up and got out. Gladio stood by the door, looking back at Noctis. 

Noctis rested his hand against the front of the car.

“Thanks, Dad,” he whispered.

He followed Gladio out and closed the door to the train car behind him.

FFXV

They finally reached the sleeping car and Gladio pulled open the door to his. He blinked. Prompto was gone.

“He’s in here,” Noctis said, opening the door to his compartment. He flipped on the light and breathed a sigh of relief. Ignis was still on stomach, asleep. He sat on the bed next to him and pulled his boots off.

Gladio stepped into the room and glanced at Ignis. His face pinched sadly. He looked at Prompto, sprawled on his back, mouth hanging open and soft snores coming from his throat.

With a snort, Gladio reached down and picked Prompto up. The blonde didn’t even stir. Gladio paused at the door. Noctis was watching him, eyes shadowed.

Gladio bowed his head and carried Prompto back to their room. He dumped the blonde on his bed.

Prompto woke with a yelp.

“Whoops,” Gladio said, sitting down and pulling off his own boots.

“What the heck was that for?”

“Noct was back, so you didn’t need to be in there with them.”

“And you couldn’t just, I don’t know, prod me or something?” Prompto muttered, pulling the blankets up around him.

“Next time.”

Prompto yawned, watching as Gladio pulled his shirt off and dumped it on the floor. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Noct and I talked. It was good.”

“What about Ignis?”

“Noct’s going to talk to him and see if he can convince Ignis to talk to me.” He dropped back into his bed, rolling on his side and looking at Prompto in the other bed. “I have to try and fix it, Prompto.”

“I know,” Prompto said sleepily. 

Gladio watched him for a moment. Prompto’s breath started to even back out.

“Hey, Prompto?” Gladio asked softly.

“Hnnn?”

“If you had known what was going to happen in Altissia, would you have gone?”

Prompto’s eyes opened. Gladio could make out his eyes reflecting in the soft light.

“I don’t know, Gladio. I just don’t know.”

“Yeah, me either.”

The two men were lost in their own thoughts. They eventually fell asleep.

FFXV

Noctis shut the door after Gladio carried Prompto out. He pulled off his shirt and crawled back into the bed next to Ignis. He curled around the other man and pulled the blanket over both of them.

He wrapped his arm over Ignis’ waist and pressed his lips against Ignis’ skin. Ignis was still sleeping deeply.

Noct reached over and turned off the lamp.


	13. Now-The Second Dream of the Advisor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis sees what he could become, and Gladio apologizes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a few extra days. Uni started back up, and I need to get used to a class schedule again. (like going to bed at a decent hour and waking up way too god damn early). This chapter is shorter than most, and took me in a surprising direction. I thought about ending it here, but the new little twist at the beginning just begs to be taken farther, so...thank you again for sticking with this story, now over 60,000 words. I think that's the longest one in the Ignoct tag (I think.) It could end up being over 100,000, and then I will have written a fucking novel. Go me. Too bad I can't churn out my original fiction like this. Oh well.  
> Uh, mentions torture at the beginning. 
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think. Comments and Kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed all mistakes mine.

_Ignis frowned. He could see, and that wasn’t right, was it? No, he had lost his sight in Altissia._

_He looked around. He was in the Citadel. It was dark, but it didn’t feel natural. There was no light coming from the city, and the city always had light coming from it._

_He looked up the steps leading to the palace proper. The last time he had been here, the king had asked them to stay beside Noctis._

_The last time he had been here, everything was right with the world._

_He walked slowly up the stairs, heart in his mouth. Something wasn’t right. It was too quiet. He pushed the large double doors open and stepped into the atrium._

_Silence. The only sound was the pounding of his heart in his head._

_Ignis walked to one of the many elevators. He had to go to the throne room. He wasn’t sure why, but he had to go there._

_There was something in the throne room he needed to see._

_He didn’t want to see it._

_The elevator door slid open. Ignis stepped from the elevator and walked slowly towards the throne room._

_He turned. He thought he heard someone else’s footsteps echoing his._

_“Noctis?” he asked, his voice bouncing off the stone walls._

_Someone laughed. It was not a pleasant laugh. It sounded vaguely familiar, but Ignis couldn’t pin it down._

_“Gladio? Prompto?”_

_The laughter again. It raised the hair on the back of Ignis’ neck._

_Ignis kept walking, fingers tracing the wall. He walked into the throne room. It was in ruins. There was a massive hole in the side of the room, and stone pieces, some as big as the Regalia, littered the floor._

_His eyes were drawn immediately above the throne. He recoiled with a gasp._

_On either side of the throne hung two bodies, and he recognized them instantly._

_Gladio and Prompto._

_He heard the laughter again. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Gladio and Prompto’s bodies._

_Their arms were held up by thick, black chains, and blood pooled beneath their feet. Prompto’s head hung forward, hair covering his face. Ignis stood beneath him, looking up at him._

_He felt the bile rise in his throat._

_He had no face._

_Ignis could see bone and muscle, but his skin was gone. His camera was hanging from his neck, and Ignis could hear it._

_It was taking pictures._

_He spun, facing Gladio. He bit down on his knuckles, but it was not working. Pain couldn’t banish this nightmare._

_He looked up at Gladio and reared back, stifling a scream._

_Gladiolus’ eyes had been gouged out and the sockets burned. Gladio lifted his head, and Ignis froze._

_Gods in heaven, the man wasn’t dead._

_Who had done this? Who could have done this?_

_“Please…” Gladio whispered. He coughed blood. “Just end this.”_

_The only reply was that same sinister laugh._

_“I apologized!” Gladio cried. “Gods, I’m so sorry, Ignis.”_

_Ignis blinked. What?_

_“I’m so sorry! I never meant to do it! I’m sorry, Ignis…Ignis…please!”_

_Did Gladio think he had done this?_

_Ignis would never do something like this, would he?_

_He froze. He had thought about doing this very thing to Gladio. He had imagined scooping Gladio’s eyes from his head and shoving fire into his skull._

_He had imagined making them hurt. He had wanted to make them hurt._

_He took a deep breath and looked up at Gladio. The man was trying to cry, but no tears could fall from his ruined face._

_Ignis knew what that felt like._

_He pressed his hands against his eyes. Gladio’s dry sobbing finally fell silent. Ignis looked up. He could see the shallow rise and fall of Gladio’s bare chest. He had long gashes cut into his chest, and it looked like part of his tattoo had been flayed from his body._

_Ignis took a deep breath. Where was Noctis?_

_He looked at the throne. Noctis was sitting on it, watching him with shadowed eyes._

_“Your Majesty?” Ignis whispered. It was hard to breathe._

_Noctis didn’t say anything. He didn’t move._

_Ignis took another step closer, and another._

_Noctis’ eyes were unseeing. A familiar sword was impaled through his chest, pinning him to the throne._

_Ignis fell to his knees before the throne, a horrified, heart wrenching cry tearing from his throat._

_Noctis was dead._

_The laughter echoed around the throne room. Ignis lurched to his feet._

_“SHUT UP!” he screamed, his own words chasing the echoes of the laughter._

_Gladio screamed when he heard Ignis’ voice, his body fighting the chains, blood flowing in rivers down his body, staining the marble floor._

_The laughter fell around Ignis._

_There was soft, slow applause and gentle footsteps. Ignis looked up._

_A man stepped from behind the throne._

_It was him._

_It was Ignis._

_But it wasn’t._

_It couldn’t be._

_This Ignis had a twisted smile on his face. His face was scarred, left eye fused shut, right eye open, the pupil stone grey. He held a dagger in his hands, muffling his slow claps._

_He wore the uniform of the Kingsglaive, and that was when Ignis realized that Prompto and Gladio had been wearing the same thing. His eyes locked on Noct’s still form. Noctis was wearing king’s garb._

_Ignis’ eyes flicked back to the other one’s face. Was that what he looked like now? After Altissia?_

_The other Ignis’ lips curled into a cruel smile._

_“Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”_

_Ignis didn’t respond._

_“Oh, come now. I left this one alive just for you.” The other Ignis reached up and caressed Gladio’s leg. The big man started thrashing, a high, keening sound coming from his mouth._

_“It took so long to break him. It was so much fun. First, I tied his little blonde friend up in front of him. Then, well, I asked him what part of Prompto he liked best. He spit at me. So undignified. I took Prompto’s ear first. Well, you know the mouth he has on him. He screamed. He screamed and he screamed.”_

_Gladio tried kicking out. The other Ignis laughed, caressing Gladio’s leg. Ignis could hear the shield whimpering._

_The other Ignis tossed the dagger to the side. It smashed into the wench holding Gladio’s chains. The chains released with a crash, sending Gladio to the floor. He landed on his back, screaming when his raw spine hit the marble floor._

_It was the most horrible sound Ignis had ever heard._

_The other Ignis smiled wickedly and walked forward, pulling another dagger from the sheath on his thigh. He walked down the steps, smacking the dagger into his palm._

_He knelt next to Gladio, running his fingers through the man’s hair. He fisted it hard, yanking Gladio’s head back. He ran the dagger gently up and down the man’s throat._

_“After taking Prompto’s ear, well, it seemed unfair to leave him lopsided, so, I took the other one. This big lout was so unhappy. Cursing me into oblivion, hell, you know.” The other Ignis lifted his head, teeth bared in a horrible smile._

_“But of course, we know hell, don’t we? We’ve been trapped in hell since Altissia. The darkness, the pain. They didn’t really want us with them. Noctis said he loved us, but he only pitied us. We wanted them to hurt, didn’t we, Ignis?”_

_“No,” Ignis whispered. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Gladio’s broken form. “Not like this.”_

_“DON’T LIE!” the other Ignis bellowed, his hand snapping out and slashing a cut across Gladio’s face. Gladio cried out again. “Don’t lie. You can’t lie to me. I’m you. I know your every secret and desire. You wanted them to hurt.”_

_Ignis felt his eyes burn with tears. “Yes, I wanted them to hurt. And I wanted to be the one to hurt them.”_

_The other one smiled, and it made Ignis feel sick. If the pain consumed him, this is what he would become._

_No better than a daemon._

_He closed his eyes and bowed his head._

_“This isn’t real,” he whispered._

_The other him snorted. “Isn’t it? This is what awaits you all. Death and destruction and sadness and heartbreak.”_

_“No. Noctis is the Chosen King.”_

_“Yes, you fool. Chosen for death. You know this, here,” the other Ignis hit himself in the chest. He smiled and caressed Gladio’s face. The bigger man tried to lean away, but the other Ignis smacked him, rocking Gladio’s head back._

_“He will wipe the darkness from the land,” Ignis said, his voice cracking._

_The other him sneered. “But you won’t know, will you? Everything will always be darkness for you.”_

_Ignis closed his eyes again. It hurt. Gods, it hurt. Knowing that this twisted version of him was right. He would always be in the dark._

_When he opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with the other him. He took a step back, sucking in a startled breath._

_His eyes roved over his own face. It was strange and unsettling. The scar was wine dark against his temple, and the other scars seemed to stand out against his skin._

_The other him held out the dagger. He stepped forward, his breath rushing against Ignis’ face. “Take it,” the dark Ignis whispered, “finish what I started.”_

_Ignis frowned. “No.”_

_The other Ignis reached out and cupped the back of Ignis’ head. “You will finish it. Take the blade. Drive it into Gladio’s skull. I know you want to. It’s singing, just beneath your skin; the desire to hurt him, to slice his skin from his body, to listen to the music of his screams. I know you want it because I want it, and I am you and you are me.”_

_Ignis swallowed his disgust. “I will never be like you.”_

_“No? It wasn’t so long ago that you threw a fire spell at Gladio, intending to kill the man. That would’ve been far too fast, though. Don’t you agree?”_

_“I will not harm him.” Ignis threw the other’s hand off his head and took a step back._

_“No? Pity.” The other Ignis spun and drove the blade into Gladio’s throat. Gladio made a gagging sound and Ignis could see him trying to swallow convulsively around the blade. The other Ignis twisted the blade, grinding it into Gladio’s windpipe. Ignis could hear the strange sound of the cartilage cracking beneath the hilt of the dagger._

_He swallowed bile. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight before him. He was ashamed to realize that part of him was enjoying watching Gladio die, watching Gladio suffer._

_He closed his eyes and clenched his fists._

_He would never do this. This would never be him._

_He opened his eyes in time to see the other him running towards him. He took a step back and his heel fell over the edge of the stair. His arms windmilled. He saw the other him smile._

_He landed on his back at the base of the stairs, the air rushing from his lungs. The other him landed on top of him, straddling his waist and smiling wickedly._

_“Well now, isn’t this delightful? Just the two of us, alone at last.”_

_Ignis couldn’t catch his breath. It was incredibly difficult with the other man sitting on his chest._

_“We’ll be together, Ignis, for always. For I am the pain whispering in your ear, the desire to hurt the others singing through your veins. Even when you are alone with your dear prince, remember my voice.”_

_There was something familiar about the voice. There was a sing song quality to it that Ignis never had._

_He blinked, watching the dagger in the other’s hand. The other Ignis’ face seemed to be wavering._

_The stone grey eye flickered hazel, and the other Ignis’ hair shimmered darker. His lips curled in a smile._

_Ignis’ eyes widened._

_“Ardyn,” he whispered fearfully._

_The scars melted away from the other Ignis’ face. His skin darkened slightly, hair lengthening and growing darker. The Kingsglaive outfit shifted and turned into the jacket that Ignis remembered the man wearing._

_“Oh, dear. You don’t look happy to see me,” Ardyn whispered, leaning forward. His breath wafted over Ignis’ face. Ignis recoiled._

_“You do remember the last time we saw one another? Of course you do. Altissia, wasn’t it? You looked right at me, and I smiled at you. And then what happened? Oh, yes…I remember now,” Ardyn pressed his lips against Ignis’ ear. “And then you went blind. How delightful, knowing that I was the last person you ever saw.”_

_Ignis’ eyes narrowed. “Noctis will destroy you,” he spat._

_Ardyn threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, you are delightful, Ignis. And to think, I was going to kill you in Altissia, but this is so much more fun.”_

_He shifted forward, pinning Ignis’ head between his knees. “Just imagine, in this world, you can see. And once again, I will be the last thing you see.”_

_Ardyn put his hand on Ignis’ forehead, gently caressing his skin._

_“Sweet dreams, Ignis Scientia.”_

_He lifted the dagger and slammed it down into Ignis’ left eye._

FFXV

Noctis woke with a start when he was suddenly pushed from the bed, landing on the floor in a heap. He rubbed his eyes.

“Ignis?” he asked, standing up. He turned on the light.

Ignis was twisting hard in the sheets, arms flailing wildly. His body was covered in sweat, and blood was leaking from his eyes.

Noct kneeled on the bed next to him, touching his shoulder. “Ignis? Ignis, wake up!” 

Ignis’ arm slammed into Noct. He winced.

“No, no, please! Stop!” Ignis cried, his back arching off the bed.

“Ignis!”

Noct tried to pin Ignis to the bed, but the other man started screaming when Noct’s weight landed across his chest. Ignis wrenched his arms free and started clawing at his eyes. 

“GLADIO!” Noctis yelled.

The door burst open and Gladio and Prompto fell into the room. Gladio took one look and leapt onto the bed next to Noctis. He managed to clasp his arms around Ignis, pulling the fighting man to his chest, and pinning Ignis’ arms to his body. 

“Restrain his legs,” he grunted. Prompto and Noctis lay across Ignis’ legs. They both looked scared. 

“Talk to him, Noctis,” Gladio said. Ignis was still fighting, pained cries escaping his throat. At least he had stopped screaming.

Noctis looked at Ignis’ face, twisted in pain. “Ignis, it’s okay. We’re here. I’m here, Ignis. I’m not going anywhere. Ignis, wake up.” 

Noct shifted, leaving Prompto to restrain Ignis legs. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Ignis’. He felt a little awkward doing this while Gladio held Ignis, but Gladio knew that he loved Ignis. Ignis was all that mattered at this moment.

“Ignis, I’m here. I’m waiting for you. Come home, Ignis. Wake up,” he caressed Ignis’ cheek. Ignis’ body arched against Gladio, fighting desperately against unseen daemons.

Noctis cupped Ignis’ face in his hands. “Ignis!”

“C’mon, Iggy,” Gladio muttered. His lips were close to Ignis’ ear. It was harder than he thought it would be to hold Ignis still. The man was fighting with all of his strength. Gladio was dismayed to realize how much weight Ignis had lost since Altissia. He could feel how much thinner he was in his arms. 

“Ignis?” Prompto asked, still lying across his legs. 

“Ignis, we’re here,” Noctis muttered. 

Ignis went still in Gladio’s arms. 

“Ignis?” Gladio asked. He hoped that Ignis wouldn’t get angry about Gladio holding him. He remembered what Noctis had said in the Regalia. Ignis didn’t want to be near Gladio.

Ignis took a deep, shuddering breath. It sounded pained. 

“Noctis?” he whispered. 

Noct touched his bloody cheek. “Right here, Iggy.”

Ignis tried to reach for him, but his arms were pinned. He whined softly. 

“Let his arm free, Gladio,” Noctis said. Gladio carefully freed one of Ignis’ arms. Ignis didn’t even seem to register that he was sitting half in Gladio’s lap. Ignis lifted his hand and, to Noct’s surprise, pressed it against his chest. 

Ignis ran his hand up and down Noct’s shirtless chest. He pressed his hand hard against Noct’s sternum. He sighed. There was no sword in his chest.

His head fell back, landing on Gladio’s shoulder. He went completely still; Gladio wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. 

“Gladio?” he whispered. His tone seemed almost fearful.

“Yeah, Ignis, it’s me,” Gladio said softly. He was tense. He wasn’t sure how Ignis was going to react.

Ignis lifted his free hand from Noct’s chest and curled his arm up towards Gladio’s face. Gladio froze as Ignis’ fingers poked his nose. Ignis’ fingers carefully walked up his face and fluttered over his eyes. 

Ignis wanted to cry out in joy. Gladio’s face was whole.

“It wasn’t me,” Ignis whispered, “that’s not me. I didn’t do it.”

Gladio and Noctis traded concerned looks. Ignis’ fingers were resting against Gladio’s brows. Noctis arched his eyebrow and tilted his head towards Ignis. 

Gladio nodded.

“Ignis?” he asked.

Ignis dropped his hand. “Gladio. I’m sorry for what I did in the mine.”

Gladio’s mouth fell open. He had not expected that. Even Noctis’ eyes were wide. Prompto shifted across Ignis’ legs.

Ignis tilted his head. “Prompto?”

“Right here, pinning your legs down.”

Ignis reached for him. Noctis guided his hand to Prompto’s cheek. Ignis’ fingers moved over Prompto’s face. He still had his ears. He still had skin. Ignis sighed in relief, his body going boneless in Gladio’s arms.

“Ignis,” Gladio said again, craning his neck to look at the other man. Ignis was pale, and his cheeks were stained with blood from his eyes. Ignis tilted his head slightly, listening to Gladio. 

“Ignis, you shouldn’t apologize to me for the mine,” Gladio said softly, “because I deserved it. I shouldn’t have left you. I was…angry. At you, at me, at Noctis. Even at Prompto. And …”

Noct gestured to Prompto, and the blonde sat up. He sat next to Gladio, watching Ignis.

Gladio sighed. “The truth, Ignis.” 

Noctis, Prompto and Ignis were silent. Gladio closed his eyes, his head dropping against the side of Ignis’ head. Ignis went completely still; Gladio’s breath rushing through his hair. It was easier for Gladio to talk this way. He didn’t have to look at any of them. He wasn’t any good at this emotional shit.

“After I found you in Altissia and brought you back to the hotel, and we got our first real look at your wounds…my first thought was ‘thank the gods it wasn’t me.’ I thought ‘thankfully it was Ignis that was blinded, and not me.’” 

Noctis’ eyes were wide. He hadn’t heard the details of what happened right after the Hydrean. He had been unconscious. He glanced at Prompto. The blonde looked sad.

Gladio sighed again, eyes still clenched tightly shut, arms clasped around Ignis. “I watched as you realized you couldn’t see, and all I could think of was that I was glad it wasn’t me. And then I watched you rally yourself. You were strong. You kept us together. And it made me angry.”

Gladio heard Ignis’ breath hitch. He loosened his arms slightly. 

“I was so angry. I watched you, and I knew that if it had been me…I wouldn’t have been that strong. So I took it out on you. I was mad that Noctis wanted to be near you. I was mad that you were still always willing to take a moment for Prompto. I was mad that you seemed to be carrying on.”

Prompto blinked away tears, dropping his hand on Gladio’s shoulder. Noctis took Ignis’ hand, running his thumbs over the scarred knuckles. 

“It was completely irrational, and stupid, and I’m so sorry, Ignis. I’m sorry I left you all for those two months. I’m sorry I came back such a dick. But most of all I’m sorry for what I did to you in the mine. I know that if I had been the one blinded in Altissia…you never would’ve left me behind. You would be there for all of us. You never would’ve walked by me because you were feeling spiteful.”

“I tried to kill you,” Ignis said softly. 

“You missed,” Gladio muttered into Ignis’ hair. 

“Not for lack of trying,” Ignis returned.

Gladio laughed. “I know what I did was unforgiveable, Ignis, but I hope…one day…”

“Gladio,” Ignis said, his hand clenching Noctis’ hard. “The four of us are stronger together. I can’t promise I won’t be irrational around you sometimes…the pain…makes it difficult to think clearly at times…and…”

“And?”

Ignis swallowed hard. Gladio felt him shudder. 

“And I have seen what I could become,” Ignis whispered. His voice was soft, almost fearful. 

Gladio hugged Ignis tighter. “I am Noctis’ sworn shield. I swore an oath to love what he loves-“

“Really don’t want you loving me like that,” Ignis said dryly. Noctis snorted, and even Prompto had to fight the urge to laugh.

“Shut it,” Gladio muttered. “What I meant was I will help you, if you let me. I will work every day for the rest of my life to be worthy of your forgiveness, Ignis.”

Ignis was silent for a moment. His head dropped back against Gladio’s shoulder, sightless eye staring into the distance. He thought of his dream. He remembered Gladio’s body hanging from the ceiling. He remembered the wicked smile on Ardyn as Ignis’ face as he caressed Gladio’s cheek.

He remembered the part of him that liked watching Gladio suffer.

That wasn’t him.

That couldn’t be him.

The pain pulsed behind his eyes.

_It could be you. You liked it._

Ignis closed his eye, pressing his fingers against his eyelids. 

No, it wouldn’t be him.

“Noctis accepted your oath, Gladio. You are already worthy.”

“Just because Noct accepted my oath doesn’t mean you have to accept my apology.”

Ignis swallowed. That part of him that wanted to make Gladio hurt rose to the surface. As much as Ignis wanted to just offer his blanket forgiveness, he couldn’t. 

Not yet.

“I’m not going to leave you guys again,” Gladio said. “I just hope that one day, you and I can move past this and fight side by side like we used to.”

“One day,” Ignis said softly. “I want to offer it now, Gladio, but…”

“I know,” Gladio said. 

Prompto threw his arms around both of them. Ignis gasped, and Gladio gave a strangled laugh. Noctis smiled wryly.

“You’re both so stupid and hard headed, you know?” Prompto muttered into Gladio’s neck. 

Gladio unwrapped one arm from around Ignis and crushed Prompto to him. Ignis leaned away slightly, and Noctis pressed himself against Ignis.

Noctis rested his forehead against Ignis’ shoulder and pressed his lips against his arm. “Hang on a sec,” he whispered. 

He stood up and wet a cloth. He came back and knelt next to Ignis. He gently turned Ignis’ face towards him and wiped the bloody tears from his face. 

Prompto leaned back, wiping tears from his eyes. Gladio shifted, freeing Ignis from his grip. He leaned against the wall, and Prompto dropped next to him. He watched Noctis clean Ignis’ pale face.

Noctis tossed the cloth aside and guided Ignis’ body to lean back against the wall next to Gladio. He curled against Ignis’ side, and Ignis looped his arm over Noctis’ shoulder.

Noctis sighed, throwing his arm over Ignis’ waist. 

“So, what’s next?” Prompto asked softly. Gladio pulled the blonde against him.

“We stop in Tenebrae,” Ignis said, fingers curling against Noct’s skin.

“And after that?” Prompto said.

Gladio grinned. “After that, we take this fight straight to the Empire.”


	14. Now (the madness of kings)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ardyn fucks with their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! Another chapter! I hit Altissia again in the game, and it made me sad. I was avoiding it so hard ( I spent 50+ hours avoiding it. I was level 38 when I finished chapter 8, I was level 74 when I started chapter 9. I finished every available side quest.) Anyway, it was probably a good thing so I could get more inspiration for this. This chapter is basically chapter 11 of the game. I'm operating under the assumption that Ardyn is powerful enough to fuck with all of them at the same time, not just Noctis. Also, I'm hoping this chapter doesn't get confusing. It switches back and forth between the boys, and with Ardyn around, shit gets weird.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Ardyn is having way too much fun with the boys.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Noctis and Ignis sat across from one another in the train. Noctis watched Ignis carefully. Two days had passed since he had woken up screaming, blood streaming from his eyes. Two days had passed since Gladio had apologized to Ignis. 

The truce seemed genuine, and Noctis was glad for it. Ignis did seem more relaxed, but Noctis was still reluctant to have him and Gladio alone. Gladio said he understood completely.

Noctis wasn’t sure if Ignis had slept since that day though, and it worried him. Ignis refused to talk about what he had dreamed of.

“Feels good to ride the rails,” Ignis said. He finally seemed to be getting the hang of walking around on the moving train. Sometimes it was difficult for him to pinpoint where people were because of the sound of the train masking their footsteps, but he felt like he was getting there.

As long as he didn’t think about that dream. As long as he didn’t think about that other Ignis. 

He was afraid to sleep. He was afraid that he would be back at the Citadel, and see the torture he had inflicted on the others.

Noctis smiled. “It does.”

“Eager to drive once we’re in Gralea?” Ignis asked.

Noctis was silent for a moment. He was only going to drive because Ignis couldn’t. He swallowed hard. Gods, it still hurt. It hurt knowing that Ignis was never going to drive again.

“If they’ll let me,” he muttered, dropping his eyes.

Ignis tilted his head. “You are a good driver, Noct.”

“I had a great teacher,” Noctis said softly. “Ignis, I’m so sorry.”

Ignis lifted his hand. “Noct, don’t. I do believe I already told you this wasn’t your fault. We must…move on. I trust you to drive me.”

Noctis blinked back tears. He remembered Ignis saying how terrifying it was to let Noctis drive. Hearing that Ignis trusted him was very uplifting.

“We’re fortunate to have the Regalia at all. We owe the first secretary our thanks,” Ignis said.

Noctis snorted. “She’d get more thanks if she gave us a discount.”

She’d get more thanks if she hadn’t forced the four of us to split up in Altissia, Noctis thought bitterly. 

Noctis sighed. Ignis shifted. 

“I wish I could’ve been there with you,” Ignis said. Noctis looked at him. “I remember seeing the Empire’s airships departing, but one remained behind. The Chancellor’s. I…saw him. The ship was heading for the altar and there was nothing I could do.” 

There was something strange about Ignis’ voice. 

“I fell unconscious and…I was powerless to stop him,” Ignis said.

Noctis blew out a sigh, “I’m just glad you’re alive.” He reached across the table and took Ignis’ hand. Ignis flipped his hand over and laced their fingers together. They sat in a comfortable silence, hands intertwined on top of the table. 

Noctis watched the landscape fly by. It was beautiful. The mountains were different than he had seen at home, and the land had a wildness to it that he liked. He just wished that Ignis could see it too.

Ignis tilted his head. He heard heavy footsteps approaching. 

“Is someone there?” he asked Noctis.

“Gladio. Just came back. Where’d he go, anyway?”

“On a brief reconnaissance. Something caught my ear.”

Gladio strolled up to them and stood next to Ignis.

“Hey, captain,” Gladio said, “mission complete.”

Ignis tilted his head towards Gladio. “Splendid.”

Noctis sat back, reluctantly letting go of Ignis’ hand. “What caught your ear?”

“Rumors of longer nights,” Ignis said, pulling his hand back into his lap. 

“They’ve been growing longer, day by day,” Gladio said. Noctis lifted his eyes to his shield. 

Ignis picked up the thread of conversation. “There was talk of it back in Lucis, but recent days have shown an unseasonably sharp change.”

Noctis let out a soft groan. That didn’t sound good.

“Should this trend continue, before long…” Ignis drifted off. He was thinking of his dream; the Citadel, shrouded in an unnatural darkness.

“There won’t be daylight,” Noct finished.

“Well, it’s not out of the question,” Gladio said, “the Empire’s already slain half of the Six. No wonder the world’s in such disarray.”

“And longer nights mean more daemons,” Ignis said.

“We’ve seen that ourselves,” Gladio replied. 

Ignis turned his head back to Noct. “I happened to overhear a fellow passenger discussing this very same phenomenon.”

“So he sent yours truly to seek him out,” Gladio said with a smirk. 

Noctis smiled slightly. “Nice police work.” It was nice to see the two men working together. Ignis was right, they were stronger together.

“Well, don’t want to keep him waiting,” Gladio said.

Ignis grasped his cane. “No, we don’t. Back in a moment.” He stood up, taking a moment to orient himself. Noctis touched his hand as he walked away, and Ignis’ lips curled in a soft smile.

Noctis watched the two of them walk slowly away, Gladio keeping an eye on Ignis. He turned and looked out the window. 

His mouth fell open in awe. It looked like a massive wave of snow and ice was descending above the mountains. It was beautiful, and terrifying.

Prompto came charging up to him, nearly falling over in his haste to get to Noctis. 

“Whoa! There you are, buddy!” Prompto said, grabbing the table. “You see this? It’s unreal!”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before them. 

FFXV

Gladio led Ignis to the man who had been talking about longer nights. Gladio didn’t remember him being on the train before Cartanica, but there had been people who had boarded there. He thought he would’ve remembered seeing the man, with his long black hair and hazel eyes.

Ignis sat down before the man. Gladio stood next to him.

“Your friend says you are curious about the longer nights?” the man said.

Ignis nodded, resting the cane in between his legs. “Indeed. I would like to hear your account, Mister…”

“Abaddon. Just call me Abaddon.”

Ignis nodded again. “As I said, Abaddon, I would like to hear your account of the nights and daemons.”

“Of course. Like I was saying before, the nights have gotten unseasonably long. It almost seems like the night doesn’t want to give up its time to the sun. The sun positively has to fight to rise and pierce the darkness. Of course, this leads to more daemons.”

“When did the longer nights start?” Ignis asked.

“Oh…a little over a month ago, I believe. Right after the death of our beloved Oracle is when I started really noticing it.”

Ignis tensed slightly. He wished he could see what this Abaddon looked like. 

“The daemons seemed to get stronger at that time too. Of course, since then it seems like the daemons are taking over,” Abaddon said. 

“And where have you been that the nights have been getting longer?”

“Oh, here and there.”

Ignis really didn’t like this man. Gladio dropped a hand on his shoulder.

“We’d really like to know, sir,” Gladio said.

“Lucis, of course. Altissia. I was there for the Oracle’s address. Lovely speech she gave. Pity the wedding was called off, though.”

“Yes, death tends to do that,” Ignis snapped. Gladio squeezed his shoulder in warning. 

“Sore subject?” Abaddon asked.

Gladio glared at him. “After Altissia?”

“Around. I traveled to many of the smaller islands in Accordo and then caught a different train. I boarded this one in Cartanica.”

Gladio nodded. “And any difference in the daemons?” He could feel how tense Ignis was under his hand. 

“They do seem to be getting stronger,” Abaddon said.

Ignis sighed. Everything Abaddon was saying confirmed his fears. The nights were getting longer. The daemons were getting stronger. 

Noctis was going to have to die to fix it, according to the prophecy. 

They sat in silence for a moment, and Abaddon lifted his head and looked at Gladio.

“You’re all friends with that charming blonde fellow, aren’t you? Prompto, I believe his name is?”

Gladio tensed. “Yeah, we are.”

Abaddon smiled. “You might want to check on him. I thought I saw your other friend, the black haired one, chasing him through the train. He seemed quite angry.”

“What?” Ignis asked. Gladio’s hand was almost painful on his shoulder.

“When did you see this? How could you have seen this?” Gladio asked. Abaddon had been with them the entire time. They had passed Prompto on the way to see him.

Abaddon just smiled.

Ignis tilted his head up to Gladio. “Go,” he whispered, “check on them. Call me when you’re with them.”

Gladio gnashed his teeth together. “What about you?” Noctis would murder him if Ignis got hurt.

“I’ll be fine, Gladio. Please, go check on them.” He didn’t want to say Noct’s name in front of this Abaddon. 

Gladio squeezed his shoulder again and turned and walked away. Ignis heard the door to the compartment slide shut and he took a deep breath.

He realized he couldn’t hear anything else. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the car. The sounds of the train on the rails seemed muted.

He could hear Abaddon breathing.

He felt a thread of unease curl through him. He gripped the cane tighter.

“Well now,” Abaddon said, a smile evident in his voice, “isn’t this delightful. Just the two of us, alone at last.”

Ignis suddenly felt lightheaded. He knew that voice. It wasn’t Abaddon. 

Ardyn laughed at the horrified look on the blind man’s face. 

“Did you really think I would leave you alone, Ignis? I told you, I’m always with you. All of you are blind, stumbling around in the dark. I’m simply here to show you the light and make sure the way is clear for you.”

Ignis couldn’t talk. He couldn’t move. How was this possible? 

Ardyn leaned forward, his breath blowing against Ignis’ face. “Just wait, Ignis. Things are about to get so much more entertaining.”

FFXV

Prompto was terrified. There was something wrong with Noct. Everything had been going pretty well. The four of them seemed closer than ever after Gladio and Ignis had talked two days earlier. 

He had been excited to see them mending their differences. He had never seen anything like that wall of ice and snow, and he had wanted to share it with Noctis. 

They had sat there, staring at the strange, stark beauty of the landscape.

“Never seen anything like it,” Noctis said. Prompto stood up and walked to a different window, trying to get a better view. “What’s going on?”

Prompto had turned to look at Noctis and froze. Noctis was standing up, staring around at the other people like he had never seen them before.

“It’s a real mystery,” Prompto said, “I’m not liking that snow cloud, kind of gives me the chills.”

Noctis turned and looked at him. Prompto swallowed hard. Noctis’ face clouded with anger. 

Noctis took another step forward, and then another. “What the hell are you doing here?” He swung his fist.

Prompto ducked and scrambled back. “Whoa! What’s going on?” Noctis had just attacked him!

Prompto stared at Noctis and Noctis stared right back. He had never seen such hatred in Noctis’ face. It reminded him of the look that Ignis had given Gladio in the mine.

“Easy there, buddy,” Prompto asked, taking careful steps backwards. His heart was in his throat. He wanted to cry. Why was Noct doing this? What was going on? “Didn’t see that coming. You alright?”

Noctis stared at him, fists clenched at his sides. He took three running steps forward and a sword materialized in his hands. 

“Shut up!” Noctis snarled, swinging the blade at Prompto’s head. 

Prompto fell on his butt and scuttled backwards. “Noctis! Please, what’s wrong? Is this for real?” 

He lurched to his feet and took off running. He could hear Noctis just steps behind him, panting.

Noctis, his best friend ever, was trying to kill him. 

Prompto ducked into one of the sleeping compartments, and felt something slam into his head. Everything went black.

FFXV

As soon as Gladio was away from Ignis and Abaddon, he paused, frowning. Something was off. 

He couldn’t remember why he was here. Something about Prompto, wasn’t it?

He shook his head. He felt like he had the few times he had gotten drunk back in the city. His head felt fuzzy.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his eyelids. 

Prompto. Abaddon had said Prompto was in trouble. 

He started jogging down the length of the train. He stopped to ask one of the other passengers if they had seen Prompto or Noctis.

They ignored him. They didn’t even look at him. They weren’t moving. They weren’t even breathing. They were just…frozen. 

He grabbed a man by the arm. Nothing. No reaction. 

Gladio shivered. This was wrong. 

He walked slowly through the train. Everything seemed to be a strange shade of blue grey, there was no color.

“Prompto?” he called. His voice fell flat. “Noctis?”

There was no response. He reached the door at the end of the car and tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge. 

He took a step back. His head was pounding, the fog in his brain wrapping around him. 

He took a step back and squared his shoulders. He dropped to his knees, hands resting on his thighs. He closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath and released it.

He thought of the journey so far. He remembered the feeling of swearing his oath to Noctis. His wrists started to tingle. 

He concentrated on the feel of Noct’s magic wrapping around him. He was King Noctis’ Shield, and he had to keep a clear head, it was part of his job. He took another deep breath, Noctis’ magic chasing the fog from his mind.

He opened his eyes. Color was back, and people were staring at him. 

“Sir,” one of them asked, “Are you alright?”

Gladio stood up and tried the door again. It was still locked.

The man frowned at Gladio. “We were told there was a disturbance back there and that we had to stay in this car.”

Gladio looked at him. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut. 

He could break down the door. He took a step back, preparing to do just that, and he froze.

“Ignis,” he whispered, his eyes wide. He spun and ran back the way he came. 

FFXV

Noctis pounded after Ardyn. He was going to kill him. He was going to cut him down and kill him.

This must be how Ignis had felt about Gladio in the mine. 

He wanted to drive a blade through Ardyn’s heart. He wanted to ram a dagger into his stomach like he had done to Luna.

He was going to kill him.

“Are you actually trying to kill me?” Ardyn asked.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Noctis snarled, lunging after Ardyn.

“You’re scaring me, Noct! You’re causing a scene!” Ardyn laughed. He ducked into the area between train cars.

“I’ve got you now,” Noctis muttered, yanking the door open.

Ardyn stumbled away from him, landing on his ass.

Noctis stepped forward. “What’re you after, following me around this whole time? It’s all YOUR fault!”

He rammed Ardyn against the wall, his forearm pressing into his throat. Ardyn grabbed his arm, struggling against Noct’s anger.

“What are you talking about? Do you really mean that, Noct?”

“Of course I do!” Noctis yelled. He could feel tears welling in his eyes. This man had killed Luna. He thought that this man had something to do with Ignis losing his vision. He was slime. He needed to die. “You can’t talk your way out of this!”

“You won’t even let me!” Ardyn said.

Noctis wrapped his hand around Ardyn’s throat. His fingers clenched around Ardyn’s throat. He could feel his windpipe beneath his palm. 

“Can’t we talk about this?” Ardyn gasped.

“Never,” Noctis ground out.

Ardyn looked at him for a moment, then lifted his legs and kicked Noctis in the gut. Noctis fell backwards, his head slamming into the floor.

Everything went black.

FFXV

Ignis was having a hard time getting his heartrate under control. He could smell Ardyn’s fetid breath wafting over his face. His hands clenched the cane so hard he was surprised it didn’t crack under his grasp.

He was afraid. 

He felt a finger brush his cheek and he flinched. 

“Such a pity that your beauty was marred in Altissia,” Ardyn whispered. 

Ignis stood up suddenly, anything to get away from that man. 

Ardyn laughed. The sound worked its way into Ignis’ mind. He could see Gladio’s body hanging above the throne. He could hear the sound of the bigger man’s pained moans, and part of him liked it.

“No,” Ignis whispered, taking a step back. “Stay out of my head!”

“Oh, Ignis. I’m not in your head. The only person in your head is you. You’re the one who wants to hurt the others. You’re the one who controls your pain by causing yourself more pain. It’s all you.”

“No. I wouldn’t do that.”

He felt a hand press against his thigh, over the worst of the self-inflicted wounds.

“But you already have,” Ardyn whispered, his lips against Ignis’ cheek. His hand clenched over Ignis’ thigh, digging his thumb into the newest of the cuts.

Ignis cried out, the pain flaring and driving him to his knees. His cane hit the ground with a muffled thump. Ardyn’s laughter wrapped around him like a sinister fur coat, tightening around him, suffocating him. 

Ardyn leaned over the blind man. The door slid open and Ardyn looked up, a wicked smile on his face.

“Oh, Ignis. Gladio is here. Don’t you want to hurt him? Drive your dagger into his flesh, twist it, make him scream. I know you do. I know you, Ignis. I’ve been you, remember?”

Gladio stood frozen in the door. Ignis was on his knees, leaning away from Abaddon. Abaddon had one hand clenched on Ignis’ thigh, and the other was holding his chin. Abaddon’s image flickered strangely. 

Ignis struggled, and the man clenched his hand tighter around his thigh. Abaddon’s hazel eyes never left Gladio as he leaned over and pressed his lips hard against Ignis’.

Ignis screamed into the other man’s mouth. Gladio lunged forward, his Greatsword materializing in his hands. He was going to cut Abaddon to shreds.

“Let go of him!” 

His sword came down, but there was nothing there.

His sword disappeared and he dropped to his knees next to Ignis. There was a soft, keening sound coming from Ignis, and he couldn’t seem to catch his breath.

Gladio put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “Ignis? Ignis? Are you okay?”

Ignis was trembling, frantically scrubbing at his lips. Ignis felt violated. How dare Ardyn do that to him? Ardyn seemed to know exactly what would bother Ignis the most, and the thought of anyone but Noctis kissing him made him feel sick.

He leaned over and threw up. He couldn’t get Ardyn’s laugh out of his head. The pain behind his eyes pulsed in time with the laughter. 

“What the hell did Abaddon do to you?” Gladio asked, holding Ignis’ shoulders.

“Not...Not Abaddon,” Ignis managed to say, pressing his hand to his eyes. 

“What?” Gladio asked. Ignis was shaking in his arms.

“Not Abaddon,” Ignis whispered. “Ardyn.”

The train screeched to a halt.

FFXV

Noctis stirred. 

The train was stopping. That was weird. They weren’t anywhere near Tenebrae.

“Noct, are you okay?” He felt a hand nudge him.

Noctis rolled to a sitting position, looking around wildly. Prompto was staring at him. “No. Where’s Ardyn?

Prompto blinked. “Wait…he’s here?” He looked at Noctis’ pale face. “If he is, that would explain all this weird stuff happening. I bet he’s behind the train stopping.”

Noctis stared at him, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Ignis and Gladio went up to inspect the engine room. I think we should check the rear.”

There was something off about Prompto’s voice, but he didn’t have time to question it. He needed to find Ardyn and kill him.

Prompto held out a hand and pulled Noctis to his feet. Noct nodded his thanks and turned towards the rear of the train. He started jogging down the aisles, Prompto following behind.

People were cowering in their seats. People were afraid. 

Noctis wasn’t sure how many cars they had run though when the glass next to them shattered. His arms were peppered with tiny lacerations.

A MT soldier stood before them. Noctis lunged, his lance driving into the metal man. Prompto got a few shots off behind him. The soldier fell, and Noctis ran by.

“There might be more of them,” Prompto said.

“We need to get the train moving again,” Noctis said.

“Ignis and Gladio will think of something.”

“I hope so,” Noct muttered. He wished he was with them. Something felt off. 

The side of the train car exploded. Noctis was flung to the ground, and Prompto pulled him to his feet. “They’re going to destroy the train!”

“Not if we destroy them first!” Noctis said, warp-striking outside the train. He threw everything he had into the battle. The MT’s just seemed to keep coming. Prompto was darting around the battlefield.

There was something weird about the way Prompto was fighting. It wasn’t his normal style.

Noctis didn’t have enough time to think about it, because the Nifs rolled a tank out.

“Uh oh,” Prompto said.

“Prompto, stay back!” Noctis yelled. He warped to the top of the tank and wrenched open a panel. He drove his blade into the guts of the tank. He warped away from it.

Prompto was on the train, staring at him. “C’mon, Noct! We’re leaving!” The train was starting to move slowly.

Noct warped again. He could feel himself tiring, but he landed easily on top of the train.

He looked up as Imperial airships dropped out of the sky, following the train closely.

“Gods, it never ends,” Noctis muttered.

FFXV

“What?” Gladio said. “Ardyn?”

Ignis managed a nod, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Ardyn. He’s here.”

Gladio kept his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis leaned over and retched again. 

“Gods, he kissed me,” Ignis muttered.

“Did he do anything else? Are you hurt?”

Ignis shook his head. “Nothing physical, at any rate.”

Gladio looked around. “The train stopped.”

“I imagine Ardyn had something to do with it,” Ignis said darkly. His head came up. “Did you find Noct and Prompto?”

Gladio shook his head. “No. The next car is locked down. And when I got away from you, I felt…weird. No one was moving, it was like a dream.”

Ignis swallowed hard. “How did you break free?”

“Mediation. I used Noctis’ binding to break free.”

Ignis dropped his head. He hadn’t been able to break free. He sometimes thought he was still trapped.

Gladio seemed to know what he was thinking. “Ignis, you’re fine. You’re here, with me.”

“How do I know you’re not Ardyn?”

Gladio smiled wryly. “Noctis went back in time to apologize to you. He got sick that day, and you and I fought. You, ah...have a bite mark on your shoulder.”

Ignis took a deep breath, his cheeks flushed. “He told you?”

“Yeah.”

Ignis nodded. “Okay. We should check the engine. We need to get the train moving again. If Ardyn is behind this…”

“Yeah, shit’s real bad.” Gladio stood up and helped Ignis to his feet. He reached down and picked up the cane and pressed it into Ignis’ hand.

Ignis clasped it to him, his head bowed. “Gladio?”

“Yeah, Iggy?”

“Can you…can you not tell Noct about this?” he whispered. He didn’t want Noct to know that Ardyn had kissed him. 

Gladio looked at him. Ignis looked sad, withdrawn. “Of course, Ignis.”

“Thank you. I will tell him myself,” Ignis said. It would be hard. What if Noctis didn’t forgive him?

“It wasn’t your fault, Ignis,” Gladio said. “Ardyn tricked you. He tricked all of us. Hell, he’s probably been planning this.”

Ignis nodded. “I know. My head knows, my heart…”

Gladio took a deep breath and pulled his phone out. He dialed Prompto.

“Thank the gods, Gladio!” Prompto’s voice came from the phone. 

“What’s going on? Where are you?”

“I was with Noct and he went crazy, Gladio! He tried to kill me! He wasn't listening at all. I hid in one of the sleeping cars and...something hit me. What happened?”

Gladio frowned. “Noct went crazy?”

“Yeah. We were looking out the window at the weird snow cloud, and he just lost it. I was so scared, Gladio. What the hell is happening?”

“Listen to me, Prompto,” Gladio said urgently, “Ardyn is on the train. He was probably fucking with Noct's mind. Find Noctis. Ignis and I are going to go forward and try to get the train moving again. Call me when you’re with Noct.”

“Got it. Are you and Ignis okay?”

Gladio glanced at Ignis. The scarred man was pale, but he seemed to be holding together. “We will be. Ardyn was messing with us, too. Trust no one, Prompto.”

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, it’s bad. Get going, blondie.”

“Will do. Take care of yourselves.”

“You do the same. Try not to get yourself killed.”

Gladio hung up. He looked at Ignis. “It’ll be faster if you let me guide you.”

Ignis took a deep breath and nodded. Gladio wrapped his hand gently around Ignis’ bicep and led him down the aisle at fast pace.

With Gladio’s hand firmly around his arm, Ignis’ mind wandered. 

Ardyn had kissed him, and it made him sick. The man had blinded him, toyed with him, destroyed him. He felt like he would never be clean. His heart twisted at the thought of Noctis. He hoped his king was safe.

They reached the engine. Gladio shoved the door open. The train conductor was slumped over, but Gladio could see his chest rising and falling. Gladio squeezed Ignis’ arm.

“Hang on a sec,” he said. Ignis nodded. 

Gladio shook the conductor by the shoulder. The man groaned. Gladio shook him harder.

“Wake up, man!” 

“Hmmm?” the conductor said, blinking slowly.

“Wake up! Get the train moving!”

The conductor sat up with a gasp. “Bloody hell! What happened? A man knocked on the door and then…”

“Yeah,” Gladio said, “we know the man that did this. Can you just get the train moving? It’s kind of important.”

“What’s going on?”

“The Empire is attacking, man!” Ignis snapped. “Just get the damn train moving!”

“Uh, yessir!”

The conductor started working frantically at his console. 

After what felt like an eternity to Ignis, the train lurched and slowly began to move.

FFXV

Prompto shoved his phone into his pocket and stepped into the aisle. He froze, looking around in shock. There was glass everywhere, and people sat huddled in corners. He looked outside. 

Magitek troopers were moving towards the train. His eyes widened. He started running towards the back of the train. 

It lurched, and started moving slowly down the tracks, picking up speed. Prompto looked around. He heard something thump on the roof.

He opened the door to the outside and swung onto the ladder. He climbed onto the roof and cried out.

He could see Noct warping between airships. They exploded after he left each one.

“NOCT!” he bellowed, his cry taken away by the wind. 

“Hello,” a voice said behind him.

He spun, drawing his pistol in one smooth motion. Ardyn stood behind him, a wicked smile on his face.

“So glad you could join us for the finale,” Ardyn whispered. He lifted his hands in surrender, his smile never leaving his face.

Prompto stared down the barrel. “What did you do?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Ardyn said. “A little of this, a little of that.”

Prompto gripped the gun tighter. Ardyn lifted his hands a little higher. His image flickered. Prompto frowned, but his gun never wavered.

He gasped. He was staring at himself.

No, this wasn’t possible. Ardyn was tricking him!

“PROMPTO!” Noct’s voice came out of nowhere. Prompto turned to look at him, and his gun was knocked from his hand. Noctis shoved into him.

Prompto’s arms windmilled wildly. His foot slipped off the side of the train, and he felt himself falling.

His eyes locked with Noctis’, and he saw the realization flash across his friend’s face when he realized what he’d done.

FFXV

Noctis saw Ardyn holding a gun on his best friend. Prompto stood there, hands raised, staring placidly at the gun.

No. Ardyn wasn’t going to take Prompto from him too.

“PROMPTO!” Noctis yelled, his sword coming down and knocking the gun from Ardyn’s hand. He slammed his shoulder into Ardyn’s chest, driving the vile man from the train.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Ardyn cried out, his arms flailing wildly. 

Ardyn’s voice changed, his yell becoming horrifyingly familiar. 

Noctis watched in horror as Prompto fell from the train.

Ardyn had fooled him. Prompto had never been with him. Ardyn had been fighting beside him the entire time. 

He had most likely just killed his best friend.

“Prompto,” he whispered, his gut twisting. Oh gods, what had he done? What had he done?

They had to stop the train. They had to go back. They had to save Prompto. He couldn’t leave Prompto. 

He heard footsteps behind him.

Ardyn walked around Noctis, a smile on his face. 

Noctis’ face was open, horrified. It delighted Ardyn. He did so enjoy toying with these boys. They were so predictable in their anger. They were so easy to lead around by the nose.

They would do exactly what he wanted.

They had no choice. 

Ardyn lifted Prompto’s pistol. “How long have you been in the dark?”

Noctis’ eyes widened, and Ardyn slammed the pistol into the back of his skull with a sickening crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after playing through this chapter, I have to agree with what I read once that you never fight with Prompto at all. His voice pattern is weird, like Ardyn's. So I went with it. I hope you enjoyed it. On an interesting note, the name Abaddon, besides being a biblical city, apparently translates as 'Destroyer' so I thought it was appropriate. Let me know what you think!


	15. Now-The Breaking of Prompto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein not much happens, and then shit gets dark. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Part of chapter 12 of the game, along with a side note with Prompto. I'm not going to focus on Prompto's time alone, since that will eventually get covered by the DLC, but I needed to ah...have this part with Prompto. Poor Prompto. Anyway, I'm having way too much fun writing Ardyn. He's delightfully fun to write. I hope the end isn't too confusing...it will be explained next chapter. Promise. I had to end this one where it ends. You'll understand. I hope.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love!  
> PS, torture ahead.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Noctis groaned. His head was killing him, and he was laying on something hard and cool. Whatever he was on, it was moving. His eyes fluttered opened.

“Dammit,” he muttered, pushing himself to a sitting position. He was on top of a train.

Suddenly, he remembered. 

“Fuck,” he whispered, clenching his eyes shut. He pushed Prompto. He had pushed his best friend from the top of a moving train.

“Oh, gods, Prompto,” he angrily wiped tears from his eyes. 

What if Prompto was dead? What if he had killed Prompto?

He pulled his phone from his pocket. He had a ton of missed calls from Ignis. He didn’t know how long he had been out.

He rubbed the back of his head and flinched. He had a serious knot on the back of his skull.

Ardyn had done this. Ardyn had fooled him into most likely killing his best friend, and then had smashed him in the back of the head.

The fucker. 

He quickly dialed Ignis’ number. The other man answered immediately.

_“Noctis, thank the six. Are you alright?”_

“No, no. Ignis, you gotta stop this thing!”

_“What’s wrong?”_

“Prompto fell off the train. I pushed him—I mean, Ardyn made me…” Noctis took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know where he is but we can’t leave him!”

The phone was silent for a moment. He could hear Gladio asking what was happening.

_“Stay calm, Noct. I’m as concerned about Prompto as you are, but stopping the train would endanger everyone on board. We’d be sitting ducks for the daemons.”_

Noctis knew he was right. He could hear the pain in Ignis’ voice. It didn’t make it any easier. It was his fault Prompto was gone.

“What do we do?” Noctis half sobbed. 

_“First, we drop the passengers off at Tenebrae. We’ll be arriving shortly.”_

Noctis didn’t care about the passengers. “What about Prompto?” He knew he sounded angry, but he didn’t care. Didn’t Ignis understand? How could he be so calm?

_“Given the chancellor’s involvement, it’s probable he’s no longer where we left him.”_

Noctis could hear the disgusted, almost fearful, tone in Ignis’ voice. 

_“He may try to contact us. We must wait, and hope.”_

Noctis closed his eyes. The wind stung his face, pulling tears from his eyes.

_“Can you make your way here? Gladio is with me.”_

“Are the two of you okay, at least?”

He heard Ignis swallow hard. 

_“Yes.”_

Noctis frowned. Something had clearly happened. Ignis didn’t sound okay. There was nothing he could do about it from the outside of the train.

“Okay, I’m on my way.” He stood up, the phone pressed to his ear. He heard a chittering giggle . Daemons. “As soon as I take care of these stowaways.”

_“Noct…be careful.”_

“Got it. See you in a few.” He hung up, sword materializing in his hand.

“Alright, assholes, time to play.”

FFXV

Ignis held his phone tightly. Noct had hung up on him. He took a shuddering breath and dropped it into his pocket. Gladio touched his arm.

“What happened to Prompto?” he asked, his voice low. The conductor was ignoring them, focused on the tunnel.

Ignis clenched his cane. “He fell off the train.”

“WHAT?” Gladio snarled, grabbing Ignis’ shoulders.

Ignis went completely rigid in his grip, face going completely white. The pain flared behind his eyes, and he thought he heard a snickering laugh. It was hard to breathe; his lungs constricted, his heart tried to crawl out of his throat.

Gladio felt him go rigid and immediately stepped back, dropping his hands like Ignis had burned him.

“Shit, Iggy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”

Ignis didn’t move. He turned his head away from Gladio and leaned heavily against the side of the train. He took deep breaths and counted backwards in his head. That white hot rage had flared up the moment Gladio had touched him. He would not let his rage control him. He was better than that.

He was not the man Ardyn kept showing him.

“Ignis?” Gladio asked softly.

Ignis took a deep breath. “Gladio.”

“I’m sorry,” Gladio said again. Ignis nodded and swallowed hard. Ignis hated how easily that rage crawled into his body. He hated that it. It made him hate himself.

“What did Noct say?” Gladio asked, his hands clenched at his side.

“He said Ardyn made him push Prompto from the train.”

“We have to stop the train!” Gladio said. “We have to go back for him.” He turned to talk to the conductor, but stopped when he felt Ignis’ hand touch his back.

“We cannot,” Ignis whispered. He sounded pained. “Everyone on board will be in danger. We have to get them to Tenebrae. We can figure it out there.”

Gladio stared at Ignis. They had to find Prompto. They couldn’t just leave him in the hands of the Empire. 

“What did Noctis say?” Gladio asked lowly.

“He’s on his way to the front of the train. It sounded like there were daemons in the tunnel.”

“Daemons?” the conductor squeaked. He slammed a lever forward, pushing the speed of the train.

“Let’s go try to keep the passengers calm,” Gladio said. He had to do something. If he just stood here, he’d think of Prompto. He’d loose his mind.

Ardyn had done this. Ardyn had played them all.

Ignis and Gladio left the conductor and went back to the first passenger car. The passengers were huddled in their seats. Some were crying, some were praying.

Ignis could hear the daemons on the outside of the train. He was worried about Noctis. He was terrified for Prompto. He was bothered by how quiet Gladio was being.

And he could do nothing about it. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t fight.

The train burst from the tunnel and he heard people scream. 

“Yeah, Noct! Do it!” Gladio yelled, looking out the window. Ignis heard a familiar roar and his knees nearly buckled.

The Hydrean. Noctis had summoned the Hydrean. Ignis trembled. His mind went back to Altissia, to Leviathan exploding from the water, to waking up in darkness.

He didn’t like the Hydrean. She brought back too many horrid memories.

FFXV

“Gods, I’m getting tired of this shit!” Noctis snarled, beheading another daemon. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

And more daemons.

“Ugh!” He ran forward, his feet slamming heavily into the train’s roof. He knocked daemons off the roof. 

The train exploded into meager daylight. He could just make out the palace of Tenebrae, beautiful Tenebrae with its floating mountains and green fields and blue flowers.

It was in ruins, smoke and flames pouring out of the palace.

He turned, standing face to face with a spider daemon.

He really hated those. It was like the worst of two worlds; bugs and daemons smashed into one ugly creature.

Prompto hated them too. 

He closed his eyes. There was no way he could take all these daemons on by himself. He needed help, and there was no way Gladio could get to him in time. 

His eyes opened. They were glowing. 

It started to rain out of a clear sky. 

He heard an earsplitting roar and looked up. The Hydrean flew alongside the train, diving in and out of the waters of Tenebrae.

His eyes followed her. She really was beautiful. Waterspouts burst from the ocean, slicing daemons from the train. Noctis couldn’t tear his eyes from Leviathan.

He didn’t care for her. If she had just agreed to the covenant, Luna would probably still be alive.

Ignis would be able to see.

He liked Ramuh. Ramuh was the only one that had agreed to the covenant completely. Ramuh seemed like he was always willing to help, sometimes appearing even when Noct really didn’t need the help. 

He was pretty ambivalent about Titan. Titan had fought them, but he had given in to Noctis. He wasn’t always willing to help, although Gladio had told him that it had been Titan that had shown up and smashed the Hydrean.

The Hydrean reminded him of everything he lost, of everything he could still lose.

She flew alongside the now daemon free train. Her massive eye locked on him, and they stared at each other for a moment.

She vanished in a wave of water, and Noctis sighed, his eyes drawn back to the burning palace of Tenebrae.

He was soaked. “Thanks for that,” he muttered darkly, sliding down a ladder to one of the car doors. He slammed the door open and stood in the train. People were crowding against the window.

“Did you see that?”

“That was the Hydrean! I know it was!” one little boy yelled excitedly.

Noctis jogged past the crowd. Ignis had said that he and Gladio were in the front of the train. He needed to see them. He needed Ignis to tell him it wasn’t his fault that Prompto was most likely dead.

A few cars later, he saw them. Gladio was talking to an older man. Ignis stood by himself, his hands folded over the cane.

“Ignis!” Noctis cried. He dove forward, wrapping his arms around Ignis. Ignis gasped, his cane hitting the ground and arms folding around Noctis.

“You’re soaked,” he said quietly, hands running up and down Noct’s arms. He was whole, he was safe.

Noctis stepped back. “Sorry. The Hydrean.”

“I heard,” Ignis said softly. He slowly knelt down and felt around for his cane. His fingers wrapped around it and he stood up gingerly. Gladio walked up to them.

“What happened?” Gladio asked. Noctis looked up at him. His face screwed up.

“I pushed him” Noctis gasped. “I thought…it looked like Ardyn. It looked like Ardyn was holding a gun on Prompto, so I pushed him off the train.” He wiped his eyes and looked up at Gladio. “As soon as his foot left the train, he was himself again. I killed him! I killed my best friend!”

“You don’t know that !” Gladio snarled, his hands landing heavily on Noctis’ shoulders. “Ardyn planned this! You can’t blame yourself for something that asshole made you do!”

Ignis felt separated from them. He could hear them, he could feel their body heat, but he wasn’t a part of them. 

He felt dirty and used. Ardyn had kissed him. Ardyn had played them all for fools.

“I should’ve known something was wrong!” Noctis yelled, slamming his hands into Gladio’s broad chest. “His fighting style was all off, and his words…I should’ve known! I was so consumed with wanting to kill Ardyn that…I…” he bit back a sob.

Gladio pulled him against him, crushing Noctis to his chest. “I know, my king. We will find Prompto. We will kill Ardyn. We won’t leave Prompto to him. I swear it.”

Noctis clung to Gladio. He felt like he was six years old. He felt hot tears stream down his face. Gladio’s strong arms held him.

Ignis stood there, feeling awkward and a little angry. Shouldn’t he be the one to hold Noct? Shouldn’t Noctis have turned to him?

He took a shuddering breath. What if it was visible on him? What if Noctis already knew that Ignis had betrayed him when Ardyn kissed him?

He touched his forehead as a blast of pain shot through his head. He thought he heard Ardyn laughing.

FFXV

The train had pulled into the Tenebrae station and they had helped herd all the passengers off. Noctis dropped onto some steps, and Ignis and Gladio stood nearby. No one said anything. Ignis had been strangely quiet since Noctis had joined them.

Aranea Highwind walked slowly through the crowd. She had seen the Hydrean appear, and knew who had to be on the train. She had to admit she was looking forward to seeing them again. The prince had a way about him, and he never gave up. He was tenacious, she’d give him that.

She had liked Ignis. He was incredibly levelheaded and smart. When they had first met, when Ardyn had paid her to lead them into the dungeon, he had still been recovering from some nasty attack. He had fought well, and could cook better than anyone she had ever met.

She didn’t know Gladio very well. He hadn’t been with them in the dungeon, and the few times she had joined them to fight daemons, she hadn’t stuck around long enough to get to know him.

She liked Prompto. The kid never shut up and was always taking pictures, but he asked interesting questions and was always willing to listen to advice.

She was looking forward to seeing all of them again. From what news Biggs and Wedge had been able to gather from Altissia, the boys had had a very hard time.

They weren’t difficult to spot. They were the only ones wearing all black. She paused, her eyes taking them in.

They looked awful. 

They were thin, and looked tired. Noctis was sitting on the steps, with Ignis and Gladio standing in front of him. Her eyes locked on Ignis and she froze.

What had happened to him? He held a cane in his hand, other hand resting on his hip. His eyes were covered by dark glasses, but she could see a scar over his left eye and temple. She swallowed and stopped behind Noctis.

“Well, look who’s here.”

Noctis turned and looked at her. He looked exhausted. “Aranea. Guess we have you to thank for this mess?”

She watched as Ignis turned his head towards her voice and she had a sinking feeling in her chest. “There’s more to it than meets the eye. Wanna know who to thank? Come with me.”

She spun and started walking away. 

Noctis sighed and stood up. He glanced at Ignis and Gladio. Gladio nodded. They followed Aranea as she worked her way through the crowd. She walked slowly.

“What did you do to your eyes?” Aranea asked slowly. Noctis felt a wave of anger. Ignis hadn’t done anything to his eyes. It wasn’t Ignis’ fault.

Ignis seemed surprised. “Oh, uh…just a flesh wound.”

Noctis shot him a look. Ignis couldn’t see it, of course, but Gladio did.

“Can you see?” Aranea asked, leading them onto a narrow bridge.

“I’m…afraid not,” Ignis said quietly. He didn’t want more pity. He was tired of everyone avoiding him, offering pity, false sympathy.

“Wow,” Aranea said. “That sucks.”

Ignis snorted. Aranea could be refreshingly honest.

“It’s a cruel world,” Aranea finished. 

The three men were quiet. Aranea has no idea, Noctis thought bitterly.

“Where’s Prompto?” Aranea asked.

“I…don’t know,” Noctis said.

“We lost track of him,” Gladio added quietly. 

“Is he dead?” Aranea asked.

“I don’t know,” Noctis said again, a little thread of anger weaving into his voice.

Aranea looked right at him. “Then quit moping, keep hoping. In the meantime, deal with the mess at hand.”

Ignis found Aranea to be so very refreshing. 

Gladio kept his hand on Ignis’ arm. “Don’t fall off the bridge.”

“The fall wouldn’t kill me,” Ignis said dryly, “it would be the sudden stop at the end.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Just, stay in the middle, okay?” He looked at Aranea’s back. “So, if it’s not you we thank…”

“Thank the daemons, pawns of the Empire.”

“The army that you fight for,” Gladio said coldly.

“ _Fought_ for,” Aranea said archly. “My men and I are in the search and rescue business now.”

They walked in silence for a moment. 

“We have a favor to ask,” Ignis said suddenly. Noctis stopped walking and turned to face him.

Aranea stopped too, staring at the tall man. “Yeah?”

“We need to continue on to Gralea, but in light of what you’ve told us, we can’t allow the other passengers to continue on.”

“Sure,” Aranea said with a shrug, walking off again. “Leave ‘em to me. But who’s going to drive the train?”

Gladio and Noctis looked at each other. “Good point. Know anyone?”

Aranea snorted. “I do, two someones, actually.” She stopped next to two sharp dressed men, both wearing the grey overcoats of the Imperial Army. “Your new engineers, Biggs and Wedge. Don’t worry, they can take a lickin’.”

Aranea quickly explained to the two men what they would be doing. They agreed.

“We really appreciate you going out of your way for us,” Gladio said.

“No sweat,” Aranea said softly. If she could do something to help these guys, she wanted to. They had it harder than most. She had heard Ardyn talking the few times she had been around him, and from what she had gleaned, the prince would have it harder than anyone else.

“I ran into a woman who used to work for House Fleuret,” Biggs said, looking at Noctis. “She said she had something to discuss with ya. She went that way.”

“Thanks, I’ll go check it out.”

“Bundle up before we ship out,” Wedge said. “The Glacian’s corpse makes the weather a right nightmare in the gorge.”

“Go talk to the lady, Noct, Iggy and I will get supplies.”

Noctis nodded and headed the direction Biggs had pointed. He walked over the bridge, pausing to stare at the blue flowers. He sighed and turned away from them. He saw an old woman standing by herself.

Her grey hair was pulled back in a bun and she was bent over with age. Her face was lined with sadness. She looked up at him.

“My word, is that you, Prince Noctis?”

Noctis was confused. “Uh, yeah. Have we…”

“Oh, blessed be the stars, look at what a fine young man you’ve grown into!” she smiled, her blue eyes crinkling. “I am Maria, retainer to House Fleuret. I doubt you remember me after all these years.”

Noct shook his head. “Sorry, no.”

“Don’t worry. Who I am is of little importance, in light of what I wish to discuss.” She looked at him, her eyes hard.

“Lady Lunafreya risked everything to spirit the Ring of the Lucii away from the Citadel. Did she deliver it to you?”

Noctis sucked in a sudden breath. He hated thinking about the ring, that heavy weight in his pocket clinking against Ignis’ broken glasses frames. His hand clenched.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

“Stars above!” Maria clasped her hands together in front of her chest. “My fears have been assuaged. Lord Ravus, too, will be overjoyed to hear this news.”

Noctis was sure he had heard her wrong. There was no way Ravus would be happy about that. Ravus had tried to kill them and had easily thrown Gladio around like the big man weighed nothing. Noctis was pretty sure Ravus hated him, and had since Regis had left him and Luna behind all those years ago.

“Ravus, too?”

Maria nodded. “He made sure Lady Lunafreya made it to Altissia. He made sure that the Empire was always one step behind her.”

Noctis stared. Could that be true? Was Ravus really working with them? He didn’t trust it. He had never like Ravus much, even when he had been a boy.

“I understand you are going to the imperial capital next?”

Noctis nodded. “Yeah.”

“Lord Ravus has King Regis’ glaive in his safekeeping. It was his wish to return it to you, my prince...Though I imagine it won’t be easy for you to find each other.”

Noctis felt a wave of anger. If Ravus had wanted to give him his father’s sword back, why hadn’t he done it before? It wasn’t like they had been hard to find on the stupid trip. The Regalia wasn’t exactly an incognito car.

Noctis dropped his head. “I’ll get it from him…somehow.” Even if I have to cut it from his hands, Noctis thought bitterly.

Maria bowed to him. “I pray it shall be so.”

Noctis nodded his thanks for the information, and walked away. He walked slowly back to the others. Gladio had a bag full of cold weather clothes, and Ignis was standing off to the side, talking quietly to Aranea. 

Noctis walked right up to him and slipped his arm around Ignis’ waist. Ignis started.

“Sorry, should’ve announced myself,” Noctis muttered, pressing his face into Ignis’ shoulder. Aranea watched them with interest.

“It’s quite alright,” Ignis said softly. Noctis thought he felt a little tense. Gladio walked up to them.

“Got us some jackets and warm inners. There’s food on the train. According to Biggs and Wedge it’s going to take about 10 hours to reach Gralea, as long as we don’t hit any blockages on the track.”

“We should get moving then,” Noctis said softly. He looked at Aranea. “Thanks for everything, Aranea.”

She nodded. They started walking back towards the train. Noctis kept his arm firmly around Ignis. Biggs and Wedge were already on board.

Aranea stopped them before they boarded. “Don’t worry about the civilians. They’re in my good hands.” Her eyes moved over each of them. “Can’t say the same for you. Watch yourselves in the capital.”

Ignis bowed his head. “We will.”

“Here,” Aranea said suddenly, reaching out and pressing a folded piece of paper into Noct’s hand. “Map of Gralea. It’s a couple years out of date, but it should help a little.”

Noctis smiled and nodded. “Thank you. We appreciate it.” 

Gladio lifted his hand in a brief wave and turned to the train. He guided Ignis on board.

“Thanks again, Aranea,” Noctis said, tucking the map into his pocket. “We’ll see you around.”

He turned and leapt onto the train. She stood on the platform, hand on her hip, and watched as the train pulled out of the station. 

“I hope so, Prince Noctis,” she muttered, turning to face the civilians. “I hope so.”

It was starting to snow.

FFXV

Gladio led Ignis to one of the cars and sat him down. The blind man sighed and leaned his head back. His eyes burned, but it seemed to be more of the fact that he hadn’t slept in two days than the usual pain.

Gladio leaned against the bar. “When was the last time you slept?”

Ignis turned his face towards Gladio. “I sleep a little.”

“Bullshit,” Gladio said. Ignis turned away, a frown marring his face.

Noctis walked in. “It’s snowing,” he said softly, dropping into the seat next to Ignis. Ignis jumped slightly, and Noctis frowned at him. Ignis had been strangely jumpy since Ardyn had been on the train. 

“Not surprising,” Ignis said. “With the Glacian nearby, it’s bound to be cold here.”

“Yeah,” Gladio said. He pulled out the jackets he had bought from Aranea’s crew. “That’s why I got us these. We’ll look like Imperials, but what can you do?”

Noctis laughed. “At least we’ll be warmer.”

They sat in a comfortable silence, the only sound the rattling of the train around them. Ignis felt himself drifting off, and he kept jerking upright.

He didn’t want to sleep. 

He was afraid of what he would see. 

Gods above, he was afraid to see. He had a feeling that if he fell asleep and he could see again, it would be because Ardyn wanted to show him something.

He didn’t want to see what that man wanted to show him. 

But part of him did. Part of him wanted to watch what pain Ardyn would inflict on the others. 

No. No, that wasn’t him. He wasn’t a cruel man. He would never do something like that. He loved Noctis. Noctis was his life.

He slumped sideways, only to jerk upright again.

Noctis dropped his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “You need to sleep, Iggy,” he said softly. 

Ignis swallowed and shook his head minutely. 

Noctis leaned against him. He understood about not wanting to sleep because of nightmares. But he also knew that the longer someone put off sleep, the worse the nightmares would be.

“We’ll be here, Ignis,” he said gently, squeezing Ignis’ shoulder. The man was so tense under his hand. Noct stood up and pulled Ignis to his feet. Ignis didn’t say anything as Noct switched places with him, sitting back in the booth and leaning against the cold glass. Noctis pulled Ignis down next to him.

“Lean on me,” Noctis said. He was sitting against the window, and he tugged on Ignis’ hand. Noctis spread his legs, allowing Ignis to fall against him, cradled by his body. Ignis’ face rested against Noct’s shoulder, his lips against his neck. Noct’s arms tightened around Ignis.

Ignis’ arm fell around Noct’s waist. He was tense. He didn’t want to sleep. Noct’s body heat seeped into him, chasing away the chill that had been lingering since Ardyn had kissed him. He clenched his eyes shut. He didn’t want to think about that. 

Gladio sat across from them, staring out the window at the falling snow. He missed Prompto. It was far too quiet without the exuberant blonde. He could see how tense Ignis was, and he felt bad for the man. 

Noctis ran his hands up Ignis’ back, drawing small circles over his jacket. “Sleep, Ignis. We have a few hours.”

Gladio glanced at him. “Take your own advice, Noct.” Gladio swung his legs onto the booth and lay back, closing his eyes. A nap sounded divine.

Noct smiled wryly, pressing his lips against Ignis’ head. He felt Ignis’ breath even out, his body finally relaxing into much needed sleep.

Noctis closed his eyes, and drifted into sleep.

FFXV

Prompto hurt. He didn’t know where he was. He remembered Noct’s horrified face as he slipped from the train.

Noctis had pushed him.

He groaned. His head was killing him. His back was killing him. He was amazed he didn’t have any broken bones. One of the six had to be looking out for him for sure. 

He wasn’t sure where he was. He had trudged through the cold mountains for days, or so it seemed. He had been ambushed, hadn’t he? He wasn’t sure. His mind was so foggy.

He had a hood over his head. That didn’t bode well. Nice people generally didn’t put hoods over guest’s heads. He was being dragged between two people. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the hallway.

He couldn’t see anything, and he knew that this was how Ignis saw the world now. It was a terrifying thought. He couldn’t imagine being trapped in the dark like this forever.

He groaned again as his knees hit the ground when his captors stopped.

His head felt weird. He thought he had probably been drugged.

“Hey guys, easy on the merchandise!” he said.

One of them slammed something into his head, and Prompto fell into unconsciousness again.

FFXV

Prompto woke with a start. His shoulders burned relentlessly. He opened his eyes and groaned. Bright light burned into his head. He could hear footsteps.

He looked up. His arms were chained above his head, and his bare feet barely touched the ground. His head lolled on his shoulders. The floor was cement, and there was a drain in the floor.

This wasn’t looking good. 

His head dropped to his chest, eyes sliding closed. Gods, he hurt. His shoulders burned, his lungs struggled to take in air, and his head swam. 

His eyes fluttered open. There was a pair of boots in front of him. His eyes travelled slowly up the legs that belonged to the boots.

The man was wearing all black. He had an Imperial jacket on.

He swallowed and looked at the man’s face. He gasped.

“Ignis!”

Ignis turned his head. He wasn’t wearing glasses, and the scar stood out against his skin. His right eye was open and was stone grey. His hands were clasped behind his back.

“Ignis, where are the others?” Prompto asked desperately.

Ignis tilted his head, that one eye looking right through him. “They’re not here yet.”

Prompto stared. “How did you get here?”

“The same way you did.”

Prompto swallowed. Something wasn’t right. He was scared. “Get me out of here, Ignis!”

Ignis’ lips curled into a smile. “Now, why would I do that?”

Prompto stared at him. “W…what? Iggy, _please!_ ” Prompto felt tears gather in his eyes.

Ignis’ lip curled into a snarl. He pulled his gloves off, one finger at a time.

“Do you know what I hate, Prompto?”

Prompto shook his head, tears rolling down his face. What was going on?

Ignis backhanded him, hard. Prompto cried out, his head snapping back with the force of Ignis’ slap.

“I despise being called ‘Iggy.’”

Prompto tasted blood in his mouth. “I’m…I’m sorry!”

Ignis smiled cruelly. “Not yet, you’re not.”

“Ignis…please, I know you! This isn’t you!”

This couldn’t be real, could it? 

It felt real. His muscles screamed in pain and his cheek throbbed from where Ignis had hit him. He spit blood onto the cold concrete floor.

Ignis’ dagger appeared in his hand. Prompto swallowed hard.

“Now, how about we see what you keep hidden from everyone else.” Ignis reached up and sliced away Prompto’s glove. He cried out, twisting in his chains.

“Oh my, look at that. Is that a codeprint?”

Prompto let out a sob. 

“Oh dear, it is!” Ignis pressed his face against Prompto’s. “You know what that means, don’t you? You’re home, dear boy.”

“No!” Prompto cried. “I’m from Lucis!”

Ignis caressed the codeprint. “This says otherwise. Did you know that MTs have this exact same thing?”

Prompto stared at Ignis. How could Ignis be doing this to him? 

“And that means…you’re one of them. Oh, Prompto. Did Noctis know? He’s going to abandon you when he finds out, you know. Gladio too. How could they want you around? You’re the enemy.”

“No,” Prompto said. “I’m Noct’s friend. I would never betray him!”

Ignis smiled again, leaning back. His fingers rested against Prompto’s lips. “You always have talked too much.”

Ignis slapped him again. Prompto’s body rocked in the chains. He bit his lip. This had to be a horrible nightmare. This had to be a drug induced dream.

Right?

His eyes opened as Ignis walked slowly around him. He felt Ignis’ hand on his back, yanking his shirt up and slicing it from his back.

“Are those stretch marks?” Ignis asked with a nasty laugh, pressing his hand against Prompto’s spine, fingers caressing the marks on Prompto’s abdomen.

Prompto struggled, trying to get away from that cold hand. Ignis hit him again, and Prompto spit out a tooth. He couldn’t stop crying.

He had earned those stretch marks. It had taken a lot of work to get to where he was. Ignis was taking that from him.

He felt Ignis press against his back, a cold blade caressing his side.

“How about we get rid of those unsightly things,” Ignis whispered, his lips against Prompto’s cheek.

Prompto felt the blade bite into his stomach, flaying the skin from his muscles. He screamed. Ignis laughed.

It took a long time for Prompto’s screams to drown out Ignis’ cold, cruel laughter.


	16. Now-The Third Dream of the Advisor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis slips further into Darkness, and Noctis receives the blessing of the Glacian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoohoo! Two chapters in one week. I got a review for this story on fanfiction.net that said it was too dark and bloody and I should make it happy. I laughed. This is not a happy story. Of course, I thought the game was not a happy story. On that, I hope it's not so dark that it's pushing readers away. I really am enjoying writing this, and I'm so grateful to you all for sticking with me in this novel length angst filled adventure. Because of you all, I keep writing.  
> Anyway, self harm in this chapter. This takes us through MOST of chapter 12 in the game. This is a long chapter.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

_Ignis walked slowly down the hall. He stopped, frowning. He had no idea where he was. The halls were a maze, dimly lit. There were no windows. He could see. His heart sank. That was not good. There was something here he had to see._

_He turned and gasped._

_A group of MTs stood behind him, watching him placidly. He tensed, preparing to call his daggers and fight for his life._

_The daggers snapped into existence in his hands. The MTs stopped walking, staring at him. He lunged forward, his dagger slamming into the neck of the nearest trooper. The trooper collapsed, sparks igniting from its body._

_The others didn’t move. They just stared at him, their faces unreadable as always._

_“What the hell is going on?” Ignis muttered, standing up straight. The remaining MTs fell into formation, completely ignoring the fallen one. It almost looked like they were escorting him somewhere._

_That probably wasn’t good._

_His daggers disappeared. The MTs seemed disinclined to hurt him. He could fight them. He could destroy all of them and escape this labyrinth._

_Or he could see where they wanted to take him. There was a part of him that was curious. He shook his head._

_“Wake up, Ignis. You don’t want to be here,” he whispered._

_There was a part of him that did._

_The MTs stared straight ahead, waiting for him to move. With a sigh, Ignis turned and continued walking._

_The cement walls seem to close in around him. He didn’t like this place. He paused in front of a door, waiting for the red lights to blink green. It opened, revealing what seemed to be a control room._

_Ignis stepped in. Two MTs followed him in and the door snapped shut behind them. Ignis stared. There was an entire wall full of monitors, showing various areas of whatever facility he was in._

_The MTs walked over to another door and waited for him. Ignis glanced back at the monitors and froze._

_That was the crystal._

_Oh gods, he was in Gralea._

_He touched the screen that held the crystal. Where was it? Could he find it? One of the MTs tapped him on the shoulder. Ignis took a shuddering breath and turned away from the monitor._

_He bowed his head. It was so close. He could do nothing._

_He was nothing._

_The MT pushed him toward the door. Ignis sighed and stepped through the door. He walked down a long hallway through another door._

_He was in a prison. Someone was crying._

_He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to see this._

_It was dark, but as he reached the last cell lights came up._

_“Prompto!” he said, stepping forward. The blonde was in chains, his arms strung above his head. He was shirtless, and Ignis covered his mouth._

_Prompto’s skin had been expertly flayed from his abdomen. Ignis could see the bloody chunks on the cement floor. Prompto’s bare feet just grazed the ground, his toes caught on his own bloody skin._

_The cell stunk. It smelled of human waste and meat and the coppery tang of blood was thick in the air._

_Ignis fought back his gag reflex. Prompto’s wrists were bleeding from the chains._

_“Oh, Prompto,” Ignis whispered, stepping forward. “I’m so sorry.”_

_Prompto didn’t move. Ignis could see that he was breathing, but he seemed to be unconscious. Ignis sighed, and his eyes were drawn to Prompto’s wrist. He frowned, taking another step forward._

_What was that?_

_He heard the door open behind him and turned. He froze, his heart hammering in his chest._

_“So glad you could join us,” the other Ignis said softly. He strolled into the room. He wore knee high reflective black boots, with black pants tucked into them. There was a red stripe up the side of the pants that disappeared under a thigh length jacket. He looked like the quintessential imperial officer._

_Ignis swallowed hard. It was unnerving as hell to look at his own face, scarred and blind. His eyes followed the other Ignis as he walked to Prompto. He dropped his arm over Prompto’s shoulders and pressed a kiss against Prompto’s cheek._

_“Stop touching him,” Ignis snarled._

_The other Ignis laughed, curling his hand against Prompto’s bare chest, nails digging into his flesh._

_“I’m only doing what you want to do to him,” the other Ignis said._

_Ignis summoned his daggers. He wasn’t going to let that monster touch Prompto._

_“Oh dear,” the other Ignis said, caressing Prompto’s raw stomach. “Are you going to attack me?”_

_Ignis clutched the daggers harder._

_“This boy is an MT. I’m questioning him for information regarding the prince of Lucis.”_

_“He is not an MT,” Ignis snarled._

_“Keep lying to yourself. You’re getting quite good at it.”_

_The other Ignis summoned his own dagger, pressing it against Prompto’s nipple. He ran it gently over Prompto’s chest._

_“You should hear him scream,” the other Ignis whispered, almost lovingly._

_“Why are you doing this to us?” Ignis ground out._

_The other Ignis tilted his head, digging the dagger into Prompto’s flesh. Prompto’s eyes snapped open, his mouth dropping in a scream. He carved a circle around Prompto’s nipple, blood flowing down his chest._

_The other Ignis reached around Prompto and dug his fingers into the hole, pulling the chunk of meat from Prompto’s body._

_His screams echoed around the prison._

_The other Ignis lifted his hand and kissed the bloody chunk of meat in his palm. He held it out to Ignis._

_“Because I can,” the other Ignis said with a twisted smile. He held the chunk of meat out to Ignis._

_Ignis’ hand whipped out, knocking the chunk of flesh away._

_“Fuck you, Ardyn!” Ignis said._

_The other Ignis stood up straight, wiping his bloody fingers on Prompto’s shoulder. He tilted his head, the stone grey eye staring though him. He smiled so hard that the scars over his left eye tightened briefly._

_“Ardyn?” he said incredulously, “I’m not Ardyn.”_

_He leaned forward, looking Ignis right in the eye as he stroked Prompto’s bloody chest._

_“You are.”_

_Ignis took a step back. His eyes dropped to his hands and he froze. He didn’t have his gloves on. He didn’t have his normal clothes on._

_The sleeves of his jacket were loose, and he could see the white ruffles of a long sleeved shirt. His hands were wrong; older, more lined, shorter fingers. His head fell forward, and strands of auburn hair filtered through his peripheral vision._

_His head snapped up. There was a mirror that hadn’t been there before in the corner of the room. He staggered over to it and stared into the mirror._

_Ardyn’s horrified face stared back at him. He could hear laughter wrapping around him, mixed with Prompto’s renewed screams._

_He touched his face. Mirror Ardyn did the same thing._

_He froze as the other Ignis walked behind him. “I must admit, you look marvelous like that.” The other Ignis slid his arms around his waist, hands disappearing into the depths of the long jacket Ignis-as-Ardyn was wearing._

_Ignis shoved his fist into his mouth and bit down. Blood flooded his mouth. The other Ignis started laughing._

_Ignis fought the urge to scream. If he started screaming, he’d never stop._

_The other Ignis pressed his lips against his cheek. He buried his hands in the auburn hair and pressed kisses along his jaw, down his neck, tongue flicking out and pressing against his pulse point._

_Ignis couldn’t tear his eyes away from the mirror. He felt disconnected from himself as he watched his own face press gentle kisses against Ardyn’s cheeks, hands dipping lower along his stomach. The other Ignis pulled his hand from his mouth and kissed him hard on the lips._

_Ignis finally started to scream._

FFXV

Gladio’s eyes flew open when he heard Ignis start screaming. He sat up, spinning to look at where Noct and Ignis had been curled together. Noctis had his arms and legs wrapped around Ignis, trying to restrain the screaming man.

Gladio leapt to his feet. The sound coming from Ignis was absolutely heartbreaking. He sounded broken.

“Ignis! Wake up!” Noctis yelled. “Please, Iggy!”

Ignis twisted hard in Noctis’ grip, trying to break free. Noctis held him tighter, trying to get him to calm down, trying to wake him up.

Ignis bit down on his shoulder, hard.

Noct yelled and let go. Ignis fell onto the floor, curling into a ball. Noct’s hand covered his shoulder and came away bloody.

“He bit me!” Noctis said in surprise, glancing up at Gladio.

Gladio knelt next to Ignis and touched his shoulder. Ignis was biting his knuckle, blood dripping from his mouth. As soon as he felt Gladio’s touch he scrambled away, slamming head first into the bar and lurching to his feet.

“Ignis?” Gladio asked, holding his hands out.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked softly, standing up.

Ignis took a shuddering breath and went completely still. Gladio and Noct looked at each other worriedly. Noct looked back at Ignis and froze. He could have sworn, for just a moment, that he had seen tendrils of darkness twisting from the man. 

Noct picked up Ignis’ cane and held it out. “Here’s your cane.”

Ignis snatched it from him, clinging to it like it was the only solid thing around him. His chest was rising and falling rapidly.

“Forgive me,” he said hoarsely. “I need to go take a shower.” He turned and held his cane out in front of him, carefully moving through the train. His whole body trembled.

Noctis took a step after him, and Ignis paused in the threshold of the door. He was visibly trembling.

“We’ll find Prompto in a prison,” he said softly. Gladio took a step forward, his eyes narrow. “He will be gravely injured, and…he will never trust me again.”

Ignis stepped through the door and it slid shut behind him. Gladio and Noctis stared at each other. Noctis touched his shoulder, wincing.

“Well, I’ll say it,” Gladio said darkly. Noctis looked at him. “Ignis is losing his damn mind.”

Noctis shot him a dirty look and walked behind the bar. He pulled out a water bottle and unscrewed the lid, pouring some directly on his shoulder.

“Did you see it?” Noctis asked suddenly, not looking at Gladio.

“See what?”

Noctis frowned. Maybe those tendrils of darkness had just been his imagination. “Forget it…Ignis has been under a lot of stress lately. He’s not crazy.”

“Look, Noct. I know you love the man, but he’s been acting unstable ever since Ardyn-“ Gladio stopped talking abruptly. Noctis looked at him.

“Since Ardyn what? What exactly did Ardyn do to him?”

Gladio sighed and sat at the bar. “Ignis asked me not to tell you.”

Noctis leaned against the bar, eyes closed. “Tell me, Gladio. As your friend, and Ignis’ lover, I’m asking. Don’t make me order you as your king.”

Gladio ran his hand through his hair. “The man that Ignis overheard talking about the longer nights…”

“Ardyn?” Noctis asked.

“Yeah. Obviously, he made himself look like someone else. Said his name was ‘Abaddon.’ Anyway, he told us about the longer nights and stronger daemons, and then he said he saw you chasing Prompto through the train.”

“Wait. I was chasing Ardyn…shit. Son of a bitch! Ardyn was playing us the entire time! He must’ve made Prompto look like him even then! Damn it!” Noctis slammed his hands against the bar, face screwed up, trying not to cry.

“Prompto said you went crazy-“

“You talked to Prompto? When?”

“I called him right before Ignis and I got the train the started. He said he had hidden in a sleeping compartment and something hit him and he blacked out. I’m the one that sent him after you, Noct, so if you have to blame someone, blame me.”

Noctis sighed. “I blame Ardyn. But you can’t distract me from Ignis by telling me about Prompto.”

“Hey, you asked.”

Noctis shook his head. “What happened after Ardyn told you I was chasing Prompto?”

“Ignis sent me to find both of you, but as soon as I walked out of the train car, I forgot what I was doing. My brain was in a fog. I used my binding to you to break free of it. Then I remembered Ignis…”

Noctis just watched him. 

“Ardyn kissed him,” Gladio blurted.

Noct reared back. “WHAT?”

“I ran back in and Ignis was on the ground, leaning away from Abaddon. Abaddon had one hand Ignis’ thigh and he looked right at me and smiled and kissed him. Ignis freaked out.”

Ignis’ strange behavior suddenly made sense. He had been tense and silent around Noct ever since he had rejoined them in the train.

Gladio sighed. “I think he thinks you’re going to stop loving him because of it.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Noctis snapped.

“I know that, but honestly, Ignis isn’t all there anymore, Noct! He hasn’t slept for more than an hour for two days. Sometimes, I think I catch him muttering to himself. Always the same thing, ‘it’s not me, I wouldn’t do that, it’s not me.’ He’s losing it, Noctis!”

Noctis buried his face in his hands. “What do you suggest?”

Gladio was silent. “I don’t know. We’re going straight into Gralea, Noct. I care for Iggy, but what if he snaps? We know he’s capable. He threw a fire spell at me.”

“Yeah, well, you kind of deserved that one.”

Gladio snorted. “Fair point. I did.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to believe he would hurt us, hurt you, but he’s scaring me, Noct. What the hell did he mean about Prompto, anyway?”

Noct shook his head. “I have no idea. It…could’ve just been a dream, right?”

Gladio frowned. “Has he ever talked to you about his dreams?”

“No. He only said he can still see in his dreams.”

“That must suck,” Gladio said. Noctis touched his shoulder again. Gladio watched him. “Want a potion?”

“No. We don’t know what we’re going to be facing in Gralea. I’ll just clean it really well and bandage it. We need to save the potions.”

They were silent for a moment. 

“I’m losing him, Gladio,” Noctis said softly, his voice choking on a quiet sob. “I’m losing him just like I lost Luna and my father.”

Gladio looked at him. Noctis’ head was bowed, and he could see tears dripping from the end of Noct’s nose. 

“Talk to him. Hold him, tell him you love him,” Gladio said. “Go, we’ve got a few hours more before we hit Gralea.”

Noctis wiped his eyes. “Who knew you were so mushy?”

Gladio laughed dryly. “Move it, lover boy. I’ll cook up some of these chicken nuggets.”

Noctis smiled wryly and nodded his thanks. “I’ll bring him back and we’ll make a feast of it. And…maybe don’t mention you think he’s crazy.”

“No shit. Get moving. We…probably shouldn’t leave him alone until we have a better idea of what’s going on with him.”

Noctis sighed. Gladio was right. 

“Be back in a while.” Noctis turned and headed out the door. Gladio watched him with sad eyes.

The train continued on to Gralea.

FFXV

Ignis finally stumbled into the quarters he had been sharing with Noctis. He staggered straight to the small bathroom and turned on the shower. His cane hit the tile floor with a thud. He stepped straight into the shower without removing any of his clothes.

He felt dirty. He felt broken.

The water was freezing. He didn’t care. He bowed his head, letting the water flow over him. He peeled off his soaked jacket and threw it out of the shower. 

He pressed his forehead against the side of the shower and bit back another scream. He couldn’t get the image out of his head of his scarred visage kissing Ardyn.

He screamed, slamming his fists into the wall. The pain pulsed behind his eyes and soft laughter danced at the limits of his hearing.

“Leave. Me. Alone!”

His purple leopard print shirt was black with water, sticking to his defined chest. His boots were filled with water.

He wanted to drown himself. 

He was nothing! 

He was still slamming his fists into the wall, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more pain. Pain would mean he was awake. Pain would mean he wasn’t trapped in a world where he tortured his friends and kissed Ardyn.

His dagger appeared in his hands. He didn’t bother to take off his shirt. He never wanted to wear this thing again anyway.

He pressed the dagger against his stomach, where Prompto had been flayed. He drew the dagger across himself slowly, the pain sparking across his nerves. It wasn’t enough. 

He felt the shirt shred beneath the blade. He wanted to destroy it. He wanted to destroy himself. 

He kept slicing. His skin parted, blood washing down his abs, the warmth of it washing away in the frigid water. 

Not enough.

He dropped the blade to his thigh, digging it into the skin. A pained gasp tore itself from his lips. Maybe the darkness in his soul would wash away, like his blood swirling down the drain.

His muscles screamed beneath the blade, skin gaping. He quivered. Gods, it hurt. He needed to hurt. He deserved to hurt.

He was useless, broken, dirty. 

He deserved this.

He could still hear Ardyn’s laughter. 

He deserved this.

FFXV

Noctis opened the door to his sleeping quarters and paused. The room was completely black, but he could hear the shower running. He flipped on the light and frowned. Ignis’ jacket was in the middle of the floor in a puddle. 

“Ignis?” he said softly.

There was no response. He walked forward, heart in his throat. He opened the door to the small bathroom and froze. 

Ignis stood in the shower, fully clothed. His shirt hung off him in shreds, and Noct could clearly see new wounds cut into his abdomen. He was pulling the dagger across his thighs, pained gasps escaping from his lips. His hair hung limply across his forehead as the shower pounded against his body.

Noctis stepped into the shower and wrapped his hand around the dagger. Ignis cried out.

“Shhh, Ignis.”

The dagger vanished. Ignis’ knees buckled. Noct managed to grab him and lower him to the floor. He was shivering, which was no surprise considering the water was absolutely frigid. Noctis turned the water off and knelt next to Ignis.

Noct brushed Ignis’ hair from his forehead. Noctis didn’t know what to do. Ignis had always been the one to take care of him. Ignis had always been there; arms to hold him, a shoulder to cry on. He wasn’t prepared to deal with this Ignis, this Ignis who was falling apart at the seams, this Ignis who clearly needed help that Noctis didn’t know how to give.

He pressed his lips against Ignis’ forehead, brushing his lips against Ignis’ cold skin. He took Ignis’ hands, squeezing them gently.

“I’m here for you, Ignis. I’m not going to leave.”

Ignis took a shuddering breath, his fingers tightening on Noct’ hands. Noctis pulled healing magic to him and let it course through Ignis’ body. He watched as the newest cuts knitted back together, leaving faint red scars.

He wished his magic could touch Ignis’ mind, heal the wounds that weren’t physical. 

“Noctis?”

“Yeah, Iggy?”

Ignis took a shuddering breath. “Ardyn kissed me.”

Noctis sighed and pressed his forehead against Ignis’. “I know.”

Ignis tensed and pulled away. “How can you touch me if you know? How can you stand it?”

Noctis squeezed Ignis’ hands tighter, holding them to his chest. “He used you, Ignis. He used all of us. He’s trying to drive all of us apart, driving doubts into your mind, making me push Prompto off the train…you said it yourself, Ignis. We’re stronger together and he’s trying to destroy that strength.”

Ignis sat quietly. When had Noctis become so insightful?

“I’m sorry,” Ignis said softly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Noctis said, standing up and pulling Ignis to his feet. “Let me help you change. You’re freezing.”

Ignis stood before him, shivers still occasionally shooting through his body. His shirt hung from him in ribbons, and his pants were shredded around his thighs. Noctis grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Ignis, guiding the taller man to one of the beds.

He swiftly unbuttoned the remains of the shirt and tossed it aside.

“Burn it,” Ignis said softly. Noctis looked at him.

“What?”

“Burn the shirt and pants. I want nothing to do with them.”

Noctis looked at Ignis’ chest. He was thinner than Noct had ever seen him, and his ribs, stomach, and back were crisscrossed with faint, self-inflicted scars. Noct sighed, his fingers brushing Ignis’ abs.

Ignis sucked in a startled breath. Noct’s hand fell away.

“Sorry,” Noct whispered.

“How can you touch me?” Ignis asked hoarsely. Noctis blinked at him.

“What?”

“I’m…tainted,” Ignis spat. “I can still feel him. I feel…I…” 

Noctis reached up and cupped Ignis’ cheeks. He yanked his face down and pressed his lips hard against Ignis’. Ignis gasped against his mouth, and Noctis took the opportunity to dart his tongue into Ignis’ mouth.

Ignis groaned into his mouth. His hand came up and buried itself in Noct’s hair, pulling him tighter against him. Noctis’ hands trailed down Ignis’ chest, scraping his nails over his nipples and the scars, hands finally coming to rest on Ignis’ narrow hips.

“The next time I see Ardyn I’m going to cut off his lips and feed them to him,” Noctis growled against his lips. “You are mine! No one gets to kiss you but me.” 

Ignis clung to Noctis. He didn’t understand how Noct could still want him. Couldn’t Noct see how broken he was?

Noctis pulled back and looked at Ignis’ face. He looked younger with his hair wet and plastered to his head. Noct brushed his bangs back and kissed Ignis gently on the lips.

“Gladio is making dinner. Let me help you change and then we’ll go join him. Try to make a game plan for Gralea.”

Ignis took a deep breath, his fingers grazing Noct’s cheek. “Of course.”

He could shove the broken pieces down for a while, as long as Noct was there.

FFXV

Gladio looked up as Noct and Ignis walked back into the dining car. Ignis was wearing his casual gear, blue stripped shirt and gray slacks. He hadn’t seen Ignis in the casual clothes in months.

“Dinner is served,” Gladio said as they sat down. He walked over to them and dropped a plate full of chicken nuggets in front of them. “Chicken nuggets and Cup Noodles.”

Gladio sat down across from them. Ignis picked up one of the nuggets and bit into it with a sigh. It didn’t taste terrible. 

Noct was glad to see Ignis eating something, even if it was chicken nuggets. He took one of the Cup Noodles and started eating it. Gladio stared at the chicken nugget in his hand and then dipped it in his Cup Noodles. 

“That’s so gross, Gladio,” Noct said.

“Don’t knock it til you try it,” Gladio said, biting his soggy chicken nugget.

Ignis worked his way through another nugget. He didn’t want cup noodles. It was hard to eat with a utensil sometimes. At least the chicken nuggets didn’t need to be eaten with a fork.

They ate in silence, Noct’s hand resting lightly on Ignis’ knee. 

Gladio looked at Noct. “Let’s see that map that Aranea gave you.”

Noct pulled it out and dropped it on the table. Gladio spread it out and they both leaned over to look at it.

“Do we have any idea where we’re going once we’re there?” Noct asked. The map was confusing as hell.

“Zegnautus Keep, most likely,” Ignis said, nibbling on another nugget.

The other two stared at him. Ignis seemed to sense it. “It’s the main research facility for the Magitek troopers. You would both know that if you had ever done any reading about the empire.”

“Hey, that’s what you’re for, right?” Noct said cheekily, nudging Ignis with his shoulder. Ignis smiled slightly.

“Of course, your majesty.”

Gladio was glad to see Ignis acting a little more normal. He was worried about the man. He seemed…unstable lately. Not that Gladio was surprised. If it had been him, he would’ve snapped a long time ago.

FFXV

Ignis and Noct were sitting alone at the table; Gladio had gone to the restroom. Ignis lifted his head as he heard the brakes engage and the train screech to a stop.

Gladio strode into the car. “Wonder what it could be this time.”

Biggs’ voice came over the intercom. “You may have notice we’ve stopped.”

Noctis rolled his eyes.

“There’s something outside,” Wedge’s voice came next.

“We’ll check it out,” Noct said, standing up.

“Hope it’s just a quick snow shoveling job,” Gladio said dryly, tossing Noctis one of the jackets. He slipped into it. It was warm. Ignis took his and put it on, grabbing his cane and slowly following the others out into the snow.

“Holy shit, it’s cold!” Noctis said.

“Language,” Ignis said. Gladio snorted. It was so normal.

“Better keep moving to stay warm,” Gladio said.

“The Glacian did this,” Ignis said softly, tilting his head back and feeling snowflakes land on his cheeks.

“I think I can see her…” Noctis said. There was a massive head right by the tracks. Noctis looked up at her. She was beautiful, he thought.

“Pity she’s dead,” Gladio muttered.

Ignis took a deep breath. The air was so cold it burned his lungs. He kept his head back, concentrating on the sounds of the others around him, the wind blowing through the gorge.

He heard a soft giggle and he froze. His heart thundered in his chest. It hadn’t sounded like Ardyn’s laughter…

“Daemons!” Gladio yelled, his sword appearing in his hand. Ignis breathed a sigh of relief. Not Ardyn, not in his head. Thank the gods.

“Let’s take care of this so we can warm up!” Noct said, warping into one of the daemons. Ignis’ dagger appeared in his hand. It was the first time he had been in a fight since the mines. It was still unnerving. 

He felt a daemon skitter past him, and he lunged out, his dagger burying itself in the daemon’s chest.

“Nice one!” Gladio called, knocking another daemon off the tracks. 

Ignis took a shuddering breath. He could do this. He could relearn how to fight. Ignis lost track of time as they fought. It seemed like a moment and an eternity. Finally, it was over. 

“Let’s get back on board,” Gladio said. He guided Ignis to the door, and Ignis sighed, pulling himself back onto the train. He was exhausted, and he could feel the pain behind his eyes pulsing in time to his heartbeat. Gladio leapt onto the train behind him, leaving Noct alone on the tracks.

Noct put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. The cold bit into his lungs. He looked at the Glacian’s corpse. 

“Noct!” Gladio’s voice came from the train. “You’d better get on board, something’s not right!”

“Shit,” Noct muttered, running for the door. 

Ardyn walked by.

Noctis froze. “No way…”

Ice was forming inside the train. Noct leapt onto the train. “Hold it!” 

Ardyn was nowhere to be found. “That son of a bitch…” He opened the door to the car and frowned. Fog was creeping through the seats, and the windows were completely frosted over.

“What the hell?” he muttered. He took off running down the train. Where were Ignis and Gladio? The thought of Ardyn anywhere near Ignis made Noct see red. Ignis was his.

He reached the next car and the door opened. Noct was nearly blasted off his feet by a gust of icy wind.

Ardyn was standing at the far end of the train.

“Where is he?” Noct roared, fighting the wind to get closer to Ardyn. “Where is Prompto?”

Ardyn looked up at him. “Oh, there you are. I’m worried about your friends.” 

Noctis saw Gladio and Ignis’ bodies lying on the floor. Ardyn knelt and caressed Ignis’ cheek.

“They’ve fallen and they can’t get up. Why not lend them a hand?”

“Stop touching him!” Noctis yelled. Ardyn just smiled at him. The wind kept blowing. Noctis could feel ice forming on his eyelashes. It was so cold.

Ardyn didn’t seem to be affected by it. He stood up and smiled at Noctis. “A coldness that can only be hers.”

Noctis collapsed. He couldn’t move. His blood was freezing in his veins. He looked up at Ardyn. He hated that man. His vision was going foggy at edges. The world swam around him. 

He saw a woman walking towards them, stepping gently over Ignis’ still form. It looked like Gentiana. 

Ardyn noticed Noctis looking at something behind him and turned, his eyes widening and lips parting in shock. He smiled, his eyebrows rising as she walked closer to him.

She was still beautiful, after all this time.

Noctis watched as Gentiana walked closer to them, face serene and eyes closed. 

“Ah,” Ardyn said as she drew even with him, “the face you wore the day you-“

Gentiana pressed her finger against her lip and then pressed it against Ardyn’s mouth. Noctis’ eyes widened as Ardyn froze in place, completely covered in ice.

Gentiana stopped before Noctis. His arms were wrapped around his shoulders, trying desperately to stay warm.

“Let it now be done…as promised to the Oracle,” Gentiana said. She spread her arms and her feet lifted from the floor. Noctis stared. The cold had to be addling his brain. A beautiful, cold light emanated from Gentiana’s body, and Noctis had to close his eyes against the glare.

When he opened them, the Glacian stood before him, beautiful and cold.

“Gentiana…it’s you. You’re the Glacian.” Noct said in awe. The wind stopped. The train was covered in ice.

She didn’t say anything. She lifted her hands again, and the trident of the Oracle appeared in her hands.

“O King of Kings, restore Light unto the world.”

She held her hands out to him, the trident floating above her palms. He reached for it, hand closing around the shaft of the trident. A pure white light burst from it, and Noct had to close his eyes again.

When he opened them, the Glacian was gone. Ardyn’s frozen form stood above Ignis, almost mocking him. 

The trident reappeared in his hands and he drove it into Ardyn’s gut. Ardyn shattered, shards of ice falling to the ground. Noctis collapsed in between Ignis and Gladio.

“Wake up.”

Gladio stirred first, pushing himself to his feet. “The hell happened?”

Ignis groaned and pushed himself to his hands and knees. “Are you alright, Noct?”

“Yeah,” his teeth were still chattering. “I saw the Glacian.” 

Ignis managed to pull himself to his feet. Noctis passed him his cane. 

“It’s okay now,” Noctis said. “She’s gone now. Can you guys check on Biggs and Wedge?”

“Got it,” Gladio put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “You good?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

They walked away.

Noctis sat on the hard floor of the train, staring at his feet. A Sylleblossom petal suddenly blew past him.

His head snapped up. 

Luna stood before him, a soft smile on her face. The blue petals rained down softly around them.

“You are so close, Noctis,” her voice echoed strangely. “Don’t give up.”

“Luna…” he said softly. “I’m…so sorry…”

Her finger touched his lips. He felt a heat rush through him, chasing away the rest of the chill from the Glacian. “I gladly did my duty, Noctis. Be careful going forward, my king.”

He stared at her. The petals blew around them even faster. He couldn’t feel a wind.

“Noctis,” Luna said, “I have a message for you to give to Ignis.”

Noct blinked. “Ignis?”

“Yes. You must tell him that love is the strongest force in the world. Stronger than Darkness. Tell him, Noctis, and remember that love follows us, even through death.”

She smiled at him as he reached for her. She vanished, and Noct found himself holding a small blue petal in the palm of his hand.

He stared at the floor. Tears fell from his eyes, splattering against the metal floor. Seeing Luna had brought back all the feelings from Altissia; seeing her giving that speech, summoning the Hydrean, watching as Ardyn stabbed her, waking up to find her dead and her body gone. 

Waking up to find Ignis wounded beyond repair.

“It’s so hard,” Noctis muttered, clenching the petal in his hand. “Guess it was hard for you too.” He had never really thought about how hard the Oracle had had it before her death. She traveled, healing people. She had spirited the ring away from Insomnia, and she had died for him.

He pressed his hands to his forehead. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.” Noctis wiped his eyes and stood up.

“I’ll make it up to you, Luna. I’ll see you again.” He looked up. So I can thank you, he thought, for everything.

FFXV

Ignis and Gladio walked out of the car. Ignis rubbed his hands over his arms. He was so cold. Gladio stopped him.

“Why don’t you wait here?” he asked.

“Of course,” Ignis said softly. He was far too cold to walk after Gladio. Gladio squeezed his shoulder and headed for the engine.

Ignis turned and headed slowly back towards Noctis. The door slid open and he could hear Noctis talking.

“Luna…It’s so hard…” Noctis sounded like he was crying. Ignis froze. He wasn’t sure he would be welcome if he interrupted this.

“Guess it was hard for you too,” Noctis whispered.

Ignis’ heart pounded in his chest.

“I’ll make it up to you, Luna. I’ll see you again.”

Ignis clenched his fists. Of course he would see Lunafreya again. They would be together in death.

He wanted to scream. 

“Oh dear, it seems he doesn’t want you anymore,” Ardyn’s voice came from behind him. Ignis froze, his lungs constricting.

Ardyn ran his hand lightly down Ignis’ back. He slipped his arm around Ignis’ waist and drew him against his chest. His other hand came around, resting against Ignis’ stomach. Ignis’ hands hung loosely at his sides. Ardyn’s body seemed unnaturally hot, body heat seeping into Ignis’ cold form.

“Why would he want you?” Ardyn’s breath tickled his ear. “You are nothing, Ignis.” His hand caressed Ignis’ stomach, running up his sternum. Ignis whimpered. Ardyn pressed his lips against Ignis’ neck, drawing his teeth over Ignis’ hammering pulse.

“You can do nothing for him. You are nothing but a stand in for his beloved Lunafreya.”

Ignis let out a cry. Gods, it hurt. Noctis had lied to him. Noctis didn’t want him.

“Poor Ignis,” Ardyn whispered, kissing along Ignis’ jaw. “Alone in the darkness. You should just end it.”

The hand on Ignis’ stomach drifted lower. Ignis tensed and Ardyn smiled against his cheek. 

“You can be pain free, Ignis. Just…end it. No more pain, no more darkness. You would be free.” Ardyn turned Ignis’ face and kissed the corner of his mouth. Ignis’ dagger appeared in his hand.

“End it, Ignis. Noctis doesn’t want you. Gladio hates you, and poor, dear Prompto will never trust you again. How could he, when you’ve been torturing him for days.”

Ignis moaned. Fire raged behind his eyes. He half slumped against Ardyn. 

He could stop fighting. He could end it. He could sleep. 

Ardyn smiled and brought one hand up to caress Ignis’ cheek. “Poor, pitiful, Ignis. Alone in the world. No one understands what you’re going through. How could they?”

He pressed his lips directly against Ignis’, smiling against the other man’s mouth. 

“Say hello to Lady Lunafreya for me,” Ardyn whispered against his mouth. “End it, Ignis.” His tongue slid against Ignis’ lips.

Ignis tried to pull back, but Ardyn had him trapped. 

“End it,” Ardyn whispered. “Make Noctis suffer.”

Ignis lifted his hand, fingers tightening around the dagger.

He heard the door open, but the only thing he could feel was Ardyn’s lips caressing his, Ardyn’s arms around him, and the pain like fire raging in his skull.

He thought he heard someone call his name. 

Ardyn laughed.

Ignis drove the dagger into his own stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I'm such a bitch. Lemme know what you think!


	17. Now-The Gift of the Oracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis dies, and Noctis cries, but you're going to read the chapter anyway, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa boy. The end of that last chapter though. This one takes us through the very bare beginning of chapter 13 (ugh). I twisted a quote from Shakespeare at the end of this chapter. Go with it.  
> Thank you for all your wonderful comments (even the ones threatening to call social services on me because I torture them so good). I live for your comments.   
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Well, as enjoyable as this angst ridden mind fuck can be, anyway.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-The Gift of the Oracle

Gladio sighed and walked slowly back towards where he had left Ignis. Biggs and Wedge had been fine; they had been slumped against each other, snoring loudly. Once he had gotten them awake, they quickly got the train moving again.

They were about two and a half hours outside Gralea. 

Gladio was still trying to shake off the chill from whatever the hell had happened after they had fought daemons. He remembered getting back on the train, and then waking up to Noct saying that he had seen the Glacian.

He had never been so cold in his entire life. Whatever had happened seemed to have hit Ignis harder. The man seemed to have trouble walking, so Gladio had left him a car away from where they had woken up.

He wished he could remember what had happened. He didn’t like not knowing. It was his job to know.

He was glad they had come up with a preliminary plan for getting into Zegnautus Keep, but as Ignis reminded him “no battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” It was a good thing to keep in mind.

He walked into the car where he left Ignis and froze, his eyes wide. 

Something was seriously wrong.

Ignis was standing stock still in the middle of the car, hands hanging loosely at his side. The thing that scared Gladio was the strange tendrils of darkness wrapping around him. There was one wrapped around his stomach, and another caressing his jaw. Bloody tears rolled down his cheeks.

It looked disturbingly like the darkness that boiled out of the ground when daemons appeared.

Gladio’s heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t know what was happening. Ignis didn’t seem aware of him. Gladio’s hands trembled slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. 

He dialed Noctis.

FFXV

Noctis stared at the little blue petal in his hand. He wiped the tears from his face with the other hand and stood up. He wanted to find Ignis and wrap himself around the man, sharing the warmth that Luna’s strange visit had left him with. Luna’s message for Ignis worried him a little, but he would tell Ignis. 

He slipped the petal carefully into his pocket with the ring and Ignis’ broken glasses frames.

He took a deep breath and jumped when his phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at it. Why was Gladio calling him?

“Hey.”

_“You need to get out here. There’s something wrong with Ignis.”_ Gladio’s voice was tight, and he actually sounded scared. Noct felt his own heart trying to crawl out of his throat.

“Where?”

_“Next car. Hurry, Noct.”_ Gladio hung up.

Noctis dropped his phone into his pocket and rushed to the door. It slid open, and he darted through the empty space between cars. The next door open and he ran through, stopping abruptly on the other side.

Ignis stood in the middle of the car, darkness wrapped around him.

Noctis swallowed hard. “Ignis?” he asked. Ignis didn’t move. 

Noct glanced past Ignis to Gladio. “You see it, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” Gladio said, his eyes wide. “What is it?”

“Nothing good,” Noctis muttered. He watched in horror as a thick tendril dipped lower, cupping Ignis’ groin. He took a step forward, unable to tear his eyes away as Ignis’ head was turned and another rope of darkness darted against his mouth, down his throat.

Whatever was happening wasn’t natural. The jerky movements of Ignis’ head looked like someone had manually turned his head to the side.

Ignis’ dagger appeared in his hand. Noct could see Ignis’ chest rising and falling rapidly, and could hear soft, heartbroken sobs coming from the man.

What had happened? Where was this weird, daemon like darkness coming from?

“Ignis?” Noct said again, taking a step closer to him. Still no reaction. 

“Ignis?” Gladio asked.

Ignis raised his dagger. The blade dripped with shadows.

“Ignis, don’t do it,” Gladio said. Noct started to run towards Ignis.

Noctis felt like he was moving through mud. Everything slowed down and yet seemed to happen at once.

Ignis drove the dagger into his own stomach. 

Noctis screamed.

The darkness surrounding Ignis vanished, and he collapsed silently, landing face down in the center of the aisle.

Noctis dropped to his knees next to Ignis. This couldn’t be happening. 

Gladio fell next to him, grabbing Ignis’ shoulders and wrenching him onto his back. 

The dagger was gone, vanished back into the armiger. Blood gushed from Ignis’ stomach. He wasn’t moving. Noctis wasn’t even sure if he was breathing.

“Ignis,” Noctis breathed in horror. This had to be a dream. He couldn’t lose Ignis. 

Gladio was talking. Noctis couldn’t seem to focus. The only thing he was aware of was the blood pouring from Ignis’ stomach, the tears rolling down his own face.

Gladio hit him.

“Noct!”

Noctis’ eyes snapped to Gladio’s face. Gladio was pale, brown eyes wide.

“I need your help, Noctis. _Ignis_ needs your help.” 

Gladio’s hands were pressed hard against Ignis’ stomach, trying to staunch the bleeding. There was so much blood. How was it possible for someone to have that much blood inside of them?

Noctis was on the verge of a panic attack. This wasn’t like dealing with post-battle injuries. This wasn’t even like healing Ignis’ self-inflicted cutting wounds.

Ignis was dying. Maybe he was already dead. 

Noctis didn’t think he could go on without Ignis. 

It hadn’t been easy, watching Ignis fall apart after Altissia. Noctis knew he had tried to stay strong, but what had happened in the mine at Cartanica seemed to shatter Ignis irreparably.

But Ignis had still been there. Even broken, even shattered, he was there. Noctis could hold him, could try to comfort him, could love him.

What would he do without Ignis?

Gladio watched Noctis, trying not to think about how much blood was seeping past his fingers. 

“I think he hit his liver,” Gladio said. Noctis just stared at him, pale, shocked.

“NOCT!” Gladio bellowed. He would hit him again, but he was afraid to lift his hands from Ignis’ stomach.

Noctis blinked at him. 

“Please, your Majesty,” Gladio said, staring straight into Noctis’ tear filled eyes, “Ignis needs your help. An Elixir, Majesty.”

Noctis nodded and pulled an Elixir out. He took Ignis’ hand and wrapped it around the Elixir, cracking it. 

Gladio felt the Elixir settle around his hands, sinking into Ignis’ body, and his heart sank.

It hadn’t worked. Blood continued to pour from Ignis’ stomach, coating Gladio’s large hands.

“It didn’t work,” Noctis said in horror. “Why didn’t it work?”

Gladio shook his head. He didn’t know. He remembered the shadows wrapped around the dagger and wondered if that had something to do with it. 

Noctis let out a heart wrenching wail. He leaned over, his forehead pressed against Ignis’. Gladio felt his eyes burn with tears and he knew.

If Ignis died, he would lose Noctis too.

Maybe Noct would still be alive, his heart would beat, his lungs would draw air, but Noctis would be gone. 

“Please, Ignis, please,” Noctis sobbed against Ignis’ cheek. “Please don’t leave me. I love you, Ignis! You can’t leave me. I can’t do this without you! How can I do this without you? Please, Ignis…” 

Gladio could do nothing but sit there with his hands pressed into Ignis’ stomach and watch his friend die and his king shatter.

Noctis’ face was pressed against Ignis’ and he realized that he couldn’t feel any breath against his cheek. 

“No, nonono, IGNIS!”

He slammed his hands against Ignis’ still chest. Ignis’ right eye was open, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

Noctis wasn’t even aware that he was screaming. 

This couldn’t be happening. 

First, his father.

Then, Luna, his dear childhood friend. 

Now, Ignis. Beloved, broken Ignis. The man he had loved for years, but had never acted on. The man who had been his pillar of strength, his reason. The man who he had finally kissed, made love to.

He was dead.

Noctis was alone.

He couldn’t catch his breath. He felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn’t stop crying. 

He suddenly thought he understood why Ignis had started cutting himself. Anything to get away from this pain.

_Noctis._

His head snapped up, eyes darting around wildly. He thought he heard Luna’s voice.

_Noctis, the petal!_

Gladio stared, tears running freely down his face, dropping onto his hands and mixing with Ignis’ blood. Noctis had been screaming against Ignis’ still body, and he had suddenly sat up, looking around wildly.

Noctis dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a crushed Sylleblossom petal. Gladio frowned. Where had that come from? Had Noct picked it in Tenebrae?

Noctis stared at the petal in his hand. He reached over and grabbed Gladio’s hands, wrenching them from Ignis’ stomach.

Gladio didn’t fight him. There really was no reason to keep his hands covering the wound. Ignis was gone. Gladio fell back against one of the seats, staring at his blood painted hands. 

So much blood. 

He had thought it was bad in Altissia, when he thought he was going to lose Ignis to his wounds then. This was worse. He tore his eyes away from his hands and watched in confusion as Noctis quickly unbuttoned Ignis’ imperial jacket and shirt.

It was harder, seeing Ignis’ bare chest. He seemed smaller in death. It was hard to believe that the small, still form before him had been Ignis.

He remembered meeting Ignis when they were children. He had thought the boy was stuck up and weird. Even back then, Ignis had been devoted to Noct. Gladio hadn’t understood it. Before the daemon attack on the prince, he hadn’t had much to do with the prince.

The day of the attack on Noct, Gladio had found Ignis curled behind the throne, crying hysterically. All he could say was that something had happened to Noctis. Less than an hour later, they had learned of the attack.

Cor had told them, and Gladio remembered staring at Ignis. He hadn’t understood how Ignis could’ve known. He had forgotten about that. It made sense now; knowing that at that point Ignis and Noctis had already bound themselves together.

Gladio watched Noctis and wondered what it felt like to lose a bond mate. He wondered what would happen to him if Noctis died.

His eyes travelled back to Ignis’ body. He was surprised and saddened by the amount of small scars crossing his ribs, stomach, and disappearing onto his back. The wound from the dagger was small, innocuous except for the amount of blood that had poured from it.

How could such a small wound kill such a great man?

FFXV

Noctis’ fingers trembled as he pulled open Ignis’ shirt. Had it only been a couple of hours ago that he had helped Ignis dress?

It was a lifetime ago. 

He stared at the fatal wound, then at the petal in his palm. He shoved the petal into the wound, biting back a cry as he drove his fingers into Ignis’ abdomen. 

He could feel organs that weren’t supposed to be felt by anyone. He could feel Gladio’s eyes on him.

_Hurry, Noct!_

Luna’s voice again. Noctis took Ignis’ face in his palms and leaned over him, staring into that sightless grey eye.

_You are the King of Light, Noctis. Use that Light. I will help you. You know the words to say._

He thought he felt Luna’s hands cover his. 

“Blessed stars of light and life, deliver us from darkness’ blight,” Noctis whispered. He could almost hear Luna’s voice join his, her fingers weaved with his on Ignis’ cheeks.

Gladio stared, his mouth hanging open. For a second, he thought he heard Lady Lunafreya’s voice.

Noctis’ hands were glowing. It was almost the opposite of the shadows and glowing darkness that had surrounded Ignis. The light emanating from Noct’s hands was soft, warm, beautiful. 

Gladio couldn’t tear his eyes away from the two men before him. Their bodies were wrapped in light, and he thought he could smell flowers. He thought he saw Lady Lunafreya kneeling next to Noctis, her hands over his, chanting the words with him. 

Gladio had to cover his eyes the light pouring from Noctis was so bright.

He turned his head away, eyes clenched shut. He could see light behind his closed eyelids.

He heard a soft, feminine laugh, and the light vanished.

Gladio’s eyes snapped open and he turned to face Ignis and Noctis. 

His heart twisted. Noctis was lying across Ignis’ chest, limp and unmoving. His first horrified thought was that Noctis was dead.

Noctis took a shuddering breath and pushed himself off Ignis’ still form. Noctis reached out and touched Ignis’ cheek uncertainly. He had no idea what he had just done.

Gladio gasped, leaning forward. His eyes raked over Ignis’ chest.

The knife wound was healed; a dark red scar in the shape of a Sylleblossom was all that remained.

Ignis’ body arched off the floor, lungs sucking in a ragged breath.

“Iggy?” Noct said quietly, his finger still resting on Ignis’ cheek. Gladio’s mouth was hanging open. 

Ignis groaned, his body turning and curling into a ball. Noctis stroked his cheek. Gladio could see that he was shaking. 

“Ignis?” Noctis asked again. 

“Noct?” Ignis’ voice was so soft Gladio thought it was his imagination at first.

“Yeah,” Noctis said, blinking back tears.

“Noctis?” Ignis asked again, his voice a little stronger.

“You back with us?” Gladio managed to ask.

Ignis sat up with a groan. Why was he covered in blood? What had he done?

“I…believe so?” Ignis said. 

Noctis punched Ignis in the shoulder. Ignis rocked back, sucking in a startled gasp.

“I am SO mad at you right now!” Noctis snarled, hitting Ignis again before throwing his arms around Ignis’ neck and pressing his face against his neck. “Don’t you EVER do anything like that again.”

Ignis sat in shock. He could feel Noctis crying into his neck. His arms tentatively wrapped around the smaller man.

What had caused Noctis to react like this?

And then he remembered. He remembered Ardyn’s arms, and Ardyn’s lips, and the dagger sliding so easily into his stomach.

He started to shake. Noctis pulled back slightly, running his eyes over Ignis’ face.

“Iggy, why did you do it?” Noct asked. Gladio thought a better question would’ve been ‘what the fuck was the dark tendrils that were wrapped around you?’

“I…” Ignis started, his fingers clenching on Noct’s jacket. Noctis didn’t want him. That was why. Ardyn had said whispered those words. 

But Noctis was holding him like he never wanted to let go. 

Noctis touched Ignis’ cheek. “Tell me, Ignis.” He said softly.

“Ardyn said that I was nothing but a stand in for Lady Lunafreya. He said you didn’t want me, didn’t love me, that Gladio hated me. I was better off dead.” Ignis’ voice was flat, completely unemotional. 

Noctis stared at him.

“What?” Gladio yelled. He reached over and grabbed Ignis by the shoulders, shaking him. Noctis sat back. “Ardyn is a lying piece of shit, Ignis! He was fucking with you, you stupid man! He wants us to hurt.”

Gladio pulled Ignis against him, crushing the other man in a hug. “If you kill yourself again because of Ardyn, I’m going to find a way to revive you so I can kill you myself! If you weren’t blind, you’d be able to see how much Noctis loves you. How could you fall for Ardyn’s tricks, Ignis? Noctis loves you. He would do anything for you, don’t you know that?”

Ignis sat in Gladio’s arms in shock. “Kill myself again?” he asked softly. 

“You were dead,” Noctis said, choking on a sob. “You left me. I…gods, Ignis…”

Gladio’s arms tightened around Ignis while he watched Noct. He sat there, thinking of the ways Ardyn was playing with them, with the way Ardyn always seemed to pop up around Noctis.

“I think I get it,” Gladio said suddenly. Noctis looked at him, wiping his eyes.

“Get what?”

“It’s not about Ignis. It’s about Noct.”

“What do you mean?” Ignis asked softly.

“What Ardyn’s doing to us, to you. I think Ardyn wants Noctis to hurt. You dying would definitely cause Noct pain.”

They were silent for a moment. Ignis tensed in Gladio’s arms. Gladio looked at him.

“What?”

“Right before I…”

“Stabbed yourself,” Gladio supplied.

“Ah…yes, that. Ardyn told me to make Noct suffer…”

Gladio sighed and half chuckled into Ignis’ hair. “Well, it would’ve worked.”

Ignis was silent for a moment. “How am I alive?”

“Got me,” Gladio said. “Ask his Majesty.”

“Luna,” Noctis said softly. Ignis looked shocked. Noct reached out and caressed his cheek. “You’re not a stand in for her, Ignis. You never were. She actually asked that I give you a message.”

Ignis swallowed. He wanted to disappear. He didn’t know what to think about the Lady Lunafreya. She confused him. He remembered the dream (was it a dream? He wasn’t sure anymore) where she had told him about Noct’s fate.

“But…I heard you,” Ignis said, his voice cracking slightly. Gladio frowned down at him.

Noctis frowned. “Heard what?”

“You said you would see her again…make it up to her…I thought…you wanted to be with her…and then Ardyn…”

“Oh, Ignis,” Noctis sighed, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Ignis’, Gladio’s arms trapped between them. “I want to be able to thank her. She gave her life for me, and now that she helped save you…I want to see her to thank her for everything, not to be with her like that.”

Ignis took a shuddering breath. “It’s so hard,” he muttered. 

“What is?” Gladio asked softly.

“Knowing what’s real. I can’t…tell anymore. What’s real and what’s in my head. Dreams and reality have merged together and it’s hard to separate truth from lies.”

Noctis cupped his cheeks. “No matter what reality you’re living in, never doubt that I love you.”

Gladio felt a bit like a third wheel, but he didn’t really care. Ignis was alive, Noctis was alive. While all was not well, they could hopefully move forward. He still wanted to know what the hell had been wrapped around Ignis.

Gladio cleared his throat. “Didn’t you say you had a message for Ignis?”

“Oh yeah!” Noctis said. “She said to tell you that love is the strongest thing in the world, stronger than Darkness, and it is the only thing that follows us after death.”

Gladio blinked. That was a weird message.

Ignis bowed his head. He was silent for a moment. “Thank you, Noct,” he whispered.

Noctis nodded. “Welcome.”

 

Noctis glanced down at Ignis’ chest. His clothes were covered in blood. In fact, Noct’s jacket was bloodstained from lying across Ignis’ chest, and Gladio’s hands were dark red with Ignis’ blood. Gladio saw him looking at all the blood.

“Noct, why don’t you go get some clothes for us. I’m going to sit here and try to shake some sense into Ignis.”

Noctis shot him a watery smile. “Ignis is running out of clothes, at this rate.”

Ignis touched his own chest, sucking in a startled breath. His shirt and jacket were damp with still warm blood. Goodness. He had done quite a number on himself.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked.

Ignis’ head came up. Noct touched his cheek again. “You gonna be okay?”

Ignis tilted his head. He took his time answering. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he said simply.

Noctis nodded slowly. He did appreciate the honesty.

“Well, if you need to know what’s real, just ask me,” Gladio said gruffly. “I’ll just smack you over the head, and you’ll know I’m the real Gladio.”

Ignis’ lips curled in a bemused smile. 

Noctis snorted. “Not sure that helps, Gladio.”

Gladio smiled at him. “Get moving. Ignis probably doesn’t want to be sitting here in bloody clothes all night.”

Noctis nodded, standing up slowly. He didn’t want to leave Ignis. He never wanted to leave Ignis again.

But he also didn’t want to smother Ignis. Ignis had always been strong, independent. He wouldn’t appreciate Noctis clinging to him.

Not that Noct wouldn’t do a little bit of clinging.

“Be back in a few.”

“We’ll be here,” Gladio said.

FFXV

Noctis walked quickly through the train, wiping his eyes as he went. Ignis had died. Ignis had died right there in front of him. He would never be able to get that image out of his head. He would never be able to not see Ignis driving his dagger into his own stomach, collapsing in a heap, and dying.

He wondered about the darkness, those dark purple tendrils that had wrapped around Ignis, caressed Ignis, shot down Ignis’ throat. It had looked like the boiling darkness that daemons crawled out of. He figured it had something to do with Ardyn.

Gods, he hated that man.

He heard something behind him and spun, his eyes widening in shock.

Ardyn stood there, one hand on the back of a chair. He rolled his head and looked at Noctis. It was not a friendly look.

“I feel I’ve earned the right to call you Noct,” Ardyn said, his voice weaving around Noctis. Noctis felt a wave of hate roll through him. This man had made him push his best friend from a moving train. This man had made Ignis kill himself. 

Ardyn took a step closer to him, fists clenched at his side. “For a moment I felt death’s chill wind, such is the might of the gods. But then…I remembered I’m immortal. Such is my blessing and curse.”

Ardyn looked away, tapping his palm against his thigh. “Your attack hurt me, nevertheless…my feelings, at least. And after all the memories we’ve shared, remember this?”

He lifted his hand, Prompto’s favorite pistol in his hand. He levelled it at Noctis’ head, before lifting it slightly.

Noct stared in horror. 

“I should have asked if you remember him? Truly a blast from the past, nay?” he pressed the pistol against Noct’s chest. Noctis made a swing for the gun.

“Ah, ah, ah! You mustn’t take what’s not yours.” There was something strange about the way he said that.

“Where is he?” Noctis snarled.

Ardyn turned and smiled at Noctis. “The little gunman is a short shot away.” He pointed.

“Where?”

“Where else but Gralea, the seat of the empire? I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you…especially Ignis.” Ardyn tilted his head. “I’m so glad Ignis didn’t die. I would’ve missed the reunion of the four of you. Make sure Ignis wears that lovely imperial jacket. Prompto will simple _die_ when he sees him it.”

“Damn you!” Noctis snarled.

“I already am,” Ardyn said softly, his hazel eyes locked on Noct’s. 

“By the way, you might even find your Crystal in Gralea.” He started walking towards Noctis again. “With all these daemons about, you could certainly use it.” He gently shoved Noctis’ shoulder as he walked by.

Ardyn paused, lifting his hand. “Off you go then, wouldn’t want to keep you from your friend.” 

There was something in his hand. It was small, and Ardyn smiled as his thumb depressed the end of it. His laughter curled around Noctis as the man walked out of the train car.

FFXV

Noctis walked back to Ignis and Gladio, their bags in his hand. Gladio had Ignis sitting in one of the chairs, shirt and jacket off.

Noctis stared at Ignis. He still found the man beautiful. The scars were simply proof that he was still alive.

“Here,” Noctis said softly. He reached in to Ignis’ bag and pulled out his last shirt, another of his casual ones. Ignis pulled his arms through the sleeves, and Noctis quickly buttoned the shirt.

“Something bothering you?” Ignis asked gently. Noct’s fingers rested on his collar bone.

“I ran into Ardyn.”

“What?” Gladio snapped.

Noct’s hands tightened on Ignis’ shoulders. “He said Prompto’s in Gralea. And the Crystal.”

Gladio turned away, his fists clenching at his side. “Anything else?”

Noctis was silent. “He said he was immortal.”

Gladio looked at him. “So, he’s conceited.”

“I’m not sure he’s lying, Gladio,” Noctis said softly. “The Glacian froze him solid. I stabbed him after I received her blessing and he shattered.”

“We know he can fuck with our minds, Noctis. That’s all he was doing. People can’t be immortal. Not possible.”

Noctis nodded, but he wasn’t reassured. There was something about Ardyn. Noctis thought the chancellor was telling the truth.

Ignis didn’t say anything.

Gladio handed Ignis his imperial jacket. “Good thing that it’s black. At least it won’t show all the blood you got on it.”

Noctis watched as Ignis took it. What had Ardyn meant by his words? Ignis would need the jacket; it was going to be cold in Gralea. They would just have to deal with whatever happened.

“We should be nearing Gralea,” Ignis said after a while.

“I can’t imagine what it’ll be like,” Gladio said, leaning against the bar.

“Crawling with daemons, but you knew that,” Noct said dryly, lacing his fingers with Ignis’. 

Gladio snorted. “Don’t remind me.”

Ignis tilted his head back. “We know the plan once we’re inside?”

“Got it, Captain,” Gladio said. “We head for the keep, get Prompto and the Crystal, kick daemon and MT ass.”

“Close enough,” Ignis said.

Gladio smiled wryly. “So, are we buying this story that the Crystal can purge daemons?”

“The proof is in the purging,” Ignis replied, “but it does stand to reason. We’ve observed that as the nights have grown longer, the daemon hordes have grown stronger. If they are in fact averse to the Crystal’s Light, it could save not only Lucis, but the world.”

Ignis hoped they couldn’t hear the pain in his voice. If what Lady Lunafreya had told him in that dream (it felt like it was so long ago, now) was true, than Noctis would die to purge the world of daemons.

Noctis sighed. “We’ll find out once we take it back.”

Ignis’ head shot up. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Gladio asked. 

Ignis shook his head. It was a strange, thrumming noise. “I don’t know.”

The train screeched to a halt. 

“The hell?” Gladio asked.

“Now what?” Noctis sighed, standing up.

“My guess, something to sidetrack us,” Gladio muttered. They walked quickly forward into the next car. Noct was walking ahead of the others when the glass next to him cracked and the train shook violently, sending all three men to their knees.

Biggs’ voice came over the intercom. “City’s trying to keep us out…with daemons.”

A daemon crawled outside the glass, chittering gleefully at Noctis. 

“Don’t worry about us!” Biggs said. “Run!”

The daemon broke through the glass, staring up at Noctis and licking its sharp teeth.

“Let’s get to work,” Noctis said, holding his hand out to summon a weapon.

Nothing happened. 

He stared at his hand. “I think we’re in trouble.”

Gladio tried to summon his sword.

Nothing. 

“We’re in trouble.”

“What’s going on?” Ignis asked.

“The weapons are stuck!” Noctis yelled, ducking the daemon’s strike. “Run!”

“Run where?” Gladio snarled, grabbing Ignis’ arm and pulling him back.

“The Regalia!” Ignis panted, trying to let Gladio guide him. “It’s in the last car of the train. Noct can drive it straight into the city.”

“See, Ignis,” Gladio yelled, pulling him into another car, “this is why we need you around! Without you, Noctis and I would just be running in circles, banging off walls, yelling incoherently.”

“So, no different from what you usually do, then,” Ignis said. Noctis laughed as they reached the cargo car holding the Regalia. 

“Shut it, you!” Gladio said with a laugh. He was glad Ignis was alive. He was glad that whatever Noctis had done with that petal had worked. He half threw Ignis into the back seat of the Regalia as Noctis dove into the driver’s seat.

Noct glanced back at the men in the back seat.

“Strap in, this is gonna get ugly!” Noct said, throwing the car into gear and slamming his foot down on the gas. 

The Regalia exploded out of the back of the train, weaving ever closer to Gralea.

Ignis turned his head slightly, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, or close up this wall with our Lucian dead.”

Gladio shook his head. “We’re probably about to die and he’s quoting literature at us.”

Noctis smiled. Ignis was alive. As far as he was concerned, he could quote whatever he wanted, as long as he was nearby. 

Noctis sped through the tunnel, the tracks rumbling beneath the Regalia.

They were nearly there.

The beginning of the end of darkness.


	18. Now-The Death of the Regalia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the Regalia is finally beaten and Ignis takes another step down the path to darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, chapter 13 drives me batshit in the game. I'm going to cut out a lot of Noct's wandering for these next couple chapters. This chapter is shorter than most, and the beginning is kind of a love letter to the Regalia *sob*  
> Bonus points for those who find the star wars quote XD  
> On, the note of star wars, Biggs and Wedge. I love that. Wedge Antilles is one of my favorite SW characters and Biggs Darklighter never got enough love. I laughed so hard the first time Aranea said their names.  
> Anyway, not a whole lot happens in this chapter. Getting close to getting them all back together for more sobby times.  
> Ardyn is my spirit animal.   
> For anyone who cares, I made a new twitter for this fanfiction thing. @golden_asp  
> As always, comments and kudos are love. I simply LIVE for your comments.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.
> 
> Please enjoy.

Now- The Death of the Regalia

The Regalia roared away from the train, weaving over the tracks. The car rumbled violently, making Noct’s teeth chatter. Gladio had one hand on Ignis’ shoulder, and the other was clinging to the door.

Ignis could hear a mechanical voice ringing through the tunnel.

“Threat upgraded. Activating level 4 security measures. Sealing all gates.”

“Better hurry!” Gladio said.

“Thanks for the tip,” Noctis snarled, steering around debris on the tracks.

“Are we still in the tunnel?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah. I can see the exit though!” Noctis said.

“Go, go, go!” Gladio yelled

“Hang on!” Noctis said, pressing the pedal to the floor, fingers white on the steering wheel. 

“Whoohoo!” Gladio cried as the car burst from the tunnel.

His cry was cut short when something exploded next to the car.

“What was that?” Ignis asked, clutching the back of Noct’s seat.

“They’re trying to blow us off the tracks,” Noctis said, trying to anticipate the next rocket, weaving wildly around the tracks.

“If they hit us we’re done for and this will be the shortest offensive of all time,” Gladio muttered.

“It’ll take a bit more than that to stop His Majesty’s trusty steed,” Ignis said confidently. Noctis couldn’t help the smile that curled over his face at Ignis’ words.

Gods, he was glad Ignis wasn’t dead.

Of course, he really wanted to be able to stay alive for the foreseeable future.

The Regalia shook crazily around them, metal screaming as shrapnel slammed into her body.

“This isn’t good,” Gladio said.

“The Regalia can take the punishment. Just concentrate on your driving,” Ignis said softly.

Noctis clung tighter to the wheel. “You can do it, girl. You can get through this.”

The gate was closing. Noctis yelled as the Regalia shot towards the shrinking gap. A rocket hit the ground right behind the Regalia, launching the car into the air.

Noctis clenched his eyes shut as the world spun.

“Dad…” he whispered as the Regalia flipped three or four times, somehow coming to land on all four wheels. Noct’s head slammed into the steering wheel, Gladio’s cracked the window, and Ignis found himself smashed against Gladio.

Noctis sat up and rubbed his head. He turned to look at the others. “You guys okay?”

Gladio groaned and gently pushed Ignis off him. His forehead was bleeding. “Thank the gods we were wearing seatbelts, huh?”

“Indeed,” Ignis said. His hands were shaking slightly.

Noctis opened the door and got out slowly. He stared at the Regalia, rain pounding around them. Smoke billowed from the hood. Windows were cracked and the body was damn near destroyed.

His fingers traced the metal of the hood.

He was barely aware of Gladio standing behind him. “That’s all she’s got,” he said softly. Noctis nodded.

“It’ll do,” he said quietly. 

Ignis stood quietly beside Gladio, hands folded over his cane. 

Noctis caressed the Regalia, blinking back tears. He thought of all the times he had spent in the car. Some of his best memories with his father revolved around the car. 

He vaguely remembered his third birthday, not long after Ignis had been brought to the palace. His father had taken both of them for a ride in the Regalia. Noctis had clung to Ignis’ hand, squealing delightedly as his father sped around the roads that had been closed for him to simply take his son for ride in the car.

After he had accidently bound Ignis to him through blood and magic, Regis had taken them both for a drive in the Regalia. He had explained that Ignis was bound forever to Noctis, and that the only thing that could break that bond was the death of one of them. Noctis hadn’t understood. He just sat in the back next to Ignis, clutching his friend’s hand. Ignis had nodded solemnly at Regis. Even at such a young age, he understood what they had done, but being told in the Regalia somehow made it easier to process.

The Regalia hadn’t been with them when the daemon had attacked the convoy and nearly killed him. She had needed some mechanical work done, and Regis hadn’t been able to bring the car with them. Noctis had wondered if things would’ve been different if the car had been with them.

After Tenebrae, Noctis had been withdrawn and sullen. Nothing could pull him from that place. Luna had done her best, and when he had been Tenebrae, he had come out of his shell for her, but after the attack in Tenebrae, he was silent. Ignis had watched silently, his green eyes sad. He started trying to bake after Noctis had told him about some pastry that Lunafreya had given him.

Noctis had barely spoken, so Ignis did the only thing he could think of. He stole the keys to the Regalia and snuck Noctis into the car. Ignis didn’t know how to drive, but he had read plenty of books about it. His feet barely reached the pedals and he had a hard time seeing over the wheel. He had driven the Regalia slowly in circles around the basement parking garage.

But Noctis had smiled, so Ignis kept driving.

Someone had alerted Cor the Immortal to the fact that the Regalia was driving in slow circles in the underground parking garage. Cor reviewed the security footage and realized who was driving the king’s car. He went to the king, and the king went to the garage.

The Regalia had been going so slow Regis could easily keep pace with it. He had smiled at Ignis when Ignis’ face went completely white at seeing him. Ignis stopped the car rather quickly, and sat huddled in the seat. Noctis had fallen into a peaceful slumber, and Ignis was afraid if he started crying, the young prince would wake.

Regis had opened the door gently and eased Ignis from the driver’s seat. The boy stood before him, head bowed, tears dripping slowly down his cheeks. Regis simply smiled, and got into the driver’s seat, adjusting it for his height. Ignis hadn’t moved until Regis had reached out and pulled Ignis onto his lap.

With one arm around Ignis and the other on the wheel, he drove. He leaned down to Ignis’ ear. “Until you’re tall enough to reach the pedals, just ask me.”

Noctis had woken later to find Ignis asleep on his father’s lap while his dad drove slow laps. Regis reached out and Noctis took his hand.

When Ignis had turned 15, Regis had taken them to one of the local racetracks and tossed Ignis the keys. The boys had taken turns driving circles around the track while Regis, Clarus, and Cor looked on. It was one of the best days of Noct’s life.

When Noctis was 16, Regis gave Ignis permission to take the Regalia and Noctis outside the city to teach him to drive properly, instead of just left turns at a track. The two boys had clearly enjoyed themselves. Ignis had become a great driver, and Regis trusted the boy implicitly.

Noctis had started college, and hadn’t been in the Regalia for quite some time. Ignis still occasionally took the car for a drive, because Regis couldn’t drive it anymore. Noctis hadn’t known that Regis would often join Ignis in those trips, trusting his son’s young advisor to spirit him around the city. 

Noctis smiled as he remembered the beginning of this road trip, the four of them pushing the car to Hammerhead. Tears rolled down his face, the rain cool against his cheeks. Some of his best memories were in this car, and he would always be thankful for it, and for his father.

“Thanks, Dad,” he whispered, “for everything.”

Ignis’ hand touched his shoulder, and Noctis turned to him. 

The three men started walking, leaving the faithful, finally beaten, Regalia behind.

FFXV

“Are we really walking into the imperial capital empty handed?” Gladio asked as they walked slowly.

“Not like we have a choice,” Noctis said dryly, leaning down and picking up a piece of rubble. He pressed it into Gladio’s hand. “There you go.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Great. I’ll just club daemons to death then.” He swung the makeshift club experimentally. 

Noctis paused, looking around the city. “This place is nuts.”

“Yeah, and this debris could come down at any minute. We gotta get moving,” Gladio said. It looked like a train car, or what used to be a train car, was across the tracks. It was balanced precariously on even more rubble. There was enough space beneath it for them to crawl under.

“This doesn’t look sketchy at all,” Gladio muttered, hand on Ignis’ back. 

“I’ll go first,” Noctis said. He scrambled under the train, standing up on the other side. He turned to face the others, glancing under as Gladio guided Ignis closer.

The train car rocked. Gladio grabbed Ignis around the waist and yanked him backwards. Noctis’ last sight of them was the two men hitting the ground, Gladio cushioning Ignis’ body.

Noctis stared at the train in horror. “Hey! Ignis, Gladio!”

He heard a chittering laugh behind him. He turned, facing the daemons. “Shit,” he said. There was a daemon sitting on top of the train. Well, that explained why it had collapsed so suddenly. 

“Ignis! Gladio!” Noctis bellowed.

Nothing. Oh, gods, what if they were dead, or captured? A goblin lunged at him, and Noctis leapt out of the way. Damn, he really wanted his weapons.

He saw a staircase leading somewhere and took off running for it. He could almost hear Ignis’ voice in his head ‘No plan survives contact with the enemy.’ 

They hadn’t been in Gralea for 30 minutes and their plan had fallen apart. 

“Look at you. All by your lonesome,” Ardyn’s voice came from somewhere. Noctis sneered as he ran, dodging daemons.

“You again,” Noctis muttered, running through another overturned train car, “you know, for an imperial chancellor you are a sick son of a bitch.”

He wasn’t sure where Ardyn’s voice was coming from. It almost sounded like an intercom system, but maybe it was in his head. Maybe that’s how Ignis felt. His heart twisted at the thought of Ignis. He had promised to be there with him and they had been separated almost immediately. 

He leapt out of the train car, landing in the middle of a mass of goblins. He threw one off his shoulder and hit the stairs at a run. The daemons howled, chasing him. 

He reached the top of the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him. He took a few more staggering steps, his breath echoing around the dark room. He dropped to a crouch, trying to get his breathing under control. 

It was so quiet. He could hear his heart pounding in his head. He bowed his head. He could hear daemons scratching against the door.

He needed a weapon. He was in the middle of the Empire, without weapons, without potions, and without much of a plan. He had nothing.

Noctis gasped. He plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out the Ring of the Lucii. He held it in his palm, fingers closed over the top of it. He didn’t want to look at it. He didn’t want to put it on.

It was physically difficult for him to open his hand and stare at the ring. His heart thundered in his chest, and it was hard to breathe. The ring sat in his palm, nestled against the leather of his glove. His eyes burned and he was close to tears.

He didn’t want to wear the ring. He didn’t want to die. 

He wanted Ignis. He wanted his father. He wasn’t ready to be king. He wasn’t ready for what putting on the ring entailed.

He had no choice.

He dropped to his knees, his hands trembling as he brought the ring to the middle finger of his right hand. 

Gods, he didn’t want to this.

The cool metal slid against his dry skin. He could tell that the ring was going to be too big for him. 

Of course it was too big for him. How could he ever think he could take his father’s place?

The ring was on, and Noctis screamed.

It felt like it was cutting through his finger, melting to his bones, becoming part of his body. His vision fractured into prisms, rainbows dancing at the edges of his sight. His eyes glowed, magic coursing through him.

He doubled over, his head nearly touching the metal floor. He blinked back tears. The pain had receded, leaving him panting and clutching his hand. The ring fit him perfectly.

He sat up, looking at his right hand. He clenched his fist. His hand felt weird. He was wearing the Ring of the Lucii.

Noctis Lucis Caelum was now truly the king of Lucis.

He lifted his head and stood up. The ring glowed briefly, a warm light cascading around his hand. He took a deep breath and lowered his hand.

“The time has come,” he whispered. He set off deeper into the keep.

FFXV

Gladio watched as Noctis slipped beneath the train car, coming up on the other side. He kept his hand on Ignis’ back, waiting. His eyes snapped to the top of the train when he saw movement. A goblin sat on top, staring at them. 

It leapt into the air, feet coming down on top of the train. The train wobbled dangerously. Gladio grabbed Ignis around the waist, throwing himself backwards and dragging Ignis with him as the train car collapsed.

“Noct!” Ignis yelled, scrambling ungracefully to his feet and rushing forward. He slammed into the train, bouncing back with a yelp. Gladio pushed himself to his feet and took Ignis by the arm. Ignis spun away from him.

“Sorry,” Gladio muttered. “Just me.”

Ignis took a shuddering breath and nodded. “What happened?”

“Daemon pushed the train down. Noctis was clear on the other side.”

“Noct!” Ignis yelled. They both listened intently, but heard nothing but the scrambling of daemon feet.

“Damn it,” Gladio said. “We’re going to have to find another way around.”

Ignis touched the train. He didn’t want to be separated from Noctis. Being around Noctis helped him know what was real. It helped him know that Noctis wanted him, loved him.

“Do you have the map?”

“No, Noct has it. I meant to make a copy of it, but…”

“A lot has happened since we sat down and formulated the plan,” Ignis said.

“No shit,” Gladio said, running his hand through his hair. “Is it cool if I guide you?”

Ignis took a deep breath. “Yes. Head for Zegnautus Keep. It is in the center of the city.”

Gladio gently wrapped his hand around Ignis’ bicep. “Got it.”

Ignis sighed and gave himself over to Gladio’s guiding hand. Gladio’s eyes darted around the dark city, looking for a way past the rubble to the keep.

They started walking silently. 

FFXV

Noctis walked quickly, his hand tingling. His footsteps echoed eerily around the room. This place was massive. 

He heard the familiar chittering laugh and watched as a daemon dropped in front of him.

“How the hell are they getting in?” he said. The goblin ran at him, fingers curled into claws. Noct flung his right hand up, the ring glowing. The daemon stumbled, and Noctis watched as purple encased light tore its way from the goblin to Noct’s finger. His mouth fell open when the goblin exploded into nothing.

“The hell?” he said, staring down at the ring on his finger. Had his father been able to do that? How had he known how to do it? He clenched his fist and walked forward. He had to keep moving forward. He walked up to a nearby door and jiggled the handle. 

It was electronically locked.

“Well, shit.”

He spun, looking around. There had to be some way to get the power back on. He walked quickly past another door, and looked up.

Zegnautus Keep hovered well above him. It was massive, lights glowing softly. There was a large center spire that was connected to the bottom of the keep. 

“Bet if I can find a way into that, I can get up there,” he said to himself. He turned and smiled. A generator. Perfect.

He flipped it on, grateful that it had gas in it. He saw the light by the door come on and turn green. He sighed in relief and headed over to it. He smacked the light with the palm of his hand and the door opened.

He found himself in a large area overlooking the city. And then he found himself surrounded by daemons.

“Son of a…”

Two of them lunged at him at the same time, and he drove his hand into the ground. His body burst with white light, flinging the daemons back and seriously injuring them. He leapt back, raising his fist again and sucking the life from the remaining daemons.

Noctis stood there, shaking. He didn’t understand what has happening to him. He felt…revitalized after the daemon exploded. He felt weaker after the light had exploded from him. He stared at the ring.

“I wish you had explained this a little better, Dad,” Noctis whispered. Then he laughed. “Ah, who am I kidding? You probably did, I just refused to listen.”

He jogged across the open area to another green lit door. He opened the door and stepped through. It slammed shut behind him.

“This just keeps getting better.”

He maneuvered through the dark room and paused when he saw the elevator. He took a deep breath and bowed his head.

He wished Ignis and Gladio were with him. He didn’t like being alone in this place. It was creepy and quiet and the daemons were freaking him out. 

He had a feeling it would be worse in the keep itself.

He opened the elevator and cursed as more daemons poured out of it. Where on Eos were they all coming from?

He used the ring, sucking life from them and sending pulses of Light from his body. There was something else the ring could do, but it was just out of reach. He still didn’t understand how he knew how to do this stuff with the ring. 

Once the last daemon was dust, he stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut.

“Up we go,” he said, closing his eyes.

He thought of the last time he had kissed Ignis, and wished there had been time to kiss him, hold him, before they had arrived here. He sighed.

He was just going to have to hope that Ignis and Gladio were okay, and could make their way to the keep on their own.

FFXV

Ignis and Gladio had been walking for over an hour, and Gladio felt like the damn keep wasn’t getting any closer. He could see it, floating ominously above the city.

He had the sinking feeling that he had gotten them lost. Ignis couldn’t help with directions. He was worse off than Gladio.

But he never complained. He stumbled occasionally, and Gladio would haul him to his feet without a word. His lips were tight and he looked miserable, yet he didn’t complain.

Gladio wondered how the man did it. 

Ignis had died less than six hours ago, been brought back by some weird King of Light voodoo, and had basically told them that he was batshit crazy.

But he was still here, still pushing forward, determined to get back to Noctis.

“You doing okay?” Gladio asked, steering him around a piece of rubble.

“I’ve had worse days,” Ignis said dryly.

Gladio snorted. 

“Have there been any daemons?” Ignis asked softly.

“No,” Gladio said tightly, “not since the train collapsed and separated us from Noctis.”

Ignis didn’t say anything for a moment. “We were separated on purpose.”

“You think?” Gladio said.

“I do. I believe that the chancellor wants Noct alone,” Ignis said darkly.

“We’d better find a way to get to him before that asshole can do anything to him.”

“Indeed.”

They fell back into silence, the only sound their breathing.

“This place is too damn quiet,” Gladio muttered.

“It is. There are no people, no cars, nothing. It’s like everyone just…vanished.”

“I don’t like it.”

“I am not exactly fond of it, either, Gladio.”

“Sorry, Ignis.”

Ignis nodded. Gladio glanced up at the floating keep and sighed. He was getting twitchy. He was away from Noctis and couldn’t protect him. The last time that had happened had been Altissia, and that had ended so fucking well. He looked at Ignis out of the corner of his eye. 

He still didn’t know what had happened to Ignis in Altissia. He still berated himself for that too. Maybe if he had been with Ignis, he could’ve prevented it, and Ignis would still have his sight.

He couldn’t change what happened. They had to keep moving forward. He had to move forward.

Gladio wasn’t entirely sure when he realized they had picked up a tail. Something or someone was following them.

His hand tightened on Ignis’ arm.

“I hear it,” Ignis said softly.

They kept walking.

Ignis listened to the footsteps behind them. There was more than one whatever it was. And it wasn’t just behind them anymore.

“Gladio,” he whispered, reaching up and touching the big man’s shoulder.

“What?” Gladio whispered back, drawing both of them to a stop.

“We’re surrounded.”

FFXV

The elevator rumbled to a stop. The door slid open and Noctis stepped slowly from the elevator.

The hallway was tall and narrow. There were no windows. Nothing was moving.

“Too quiet for comfort,” Noctis said. He nearly jumped when his voice echoed back to him. He laughed quietly at himself. 

“How does it feel to be powerless?” Ardyn’s voice crackled through an intercom system. Noctis gritted his teeth. Gods he hated that man.

“Can’t help your friends if you can’t help yourself,” Ardyn taunted, a laugh in his voice. “Of course, maybe I can help your friends. Especially Ignis. He does need help, doesn’t he? Absolutely crazy, that one.”

Noctis growled. “Shut up.”

There were boxes stacked along the hall, and Noctis moved slowly, crouching beside them and looking around the corner. Couldn’t be too careful. He had to keep going up. He had to get higher.

He walked around the corner and saw Ardyn walking around the next corner, a MT at his feet. The MT twitched and lurched to its feet. Noctis ducked into a small crevice.

He watched as the MT staggered by, dragging a large axe behind it. There was something weird about these MTs. Something was off. They didn’t look like the ones that had harassed them since Insomnia fell. They were…different. 

Once it was past, he darted out and jogged down the hall. When it spilt, he slipped into another room. There were clothes on the ground, with a security card next to them.

“Missed a streaker running around here?” he muttered as he picked up the card. It could come in handy.

He wondered how Ignis and Gladio were going to make their way through the keep without a card. Maybe the doors would stay unlocked behind him.

He hoped they were okay. He checked the hallway for that weird MT and took off quietly down the hall to the large white doors. As soon as he drew close, the red lights blinked green and the door opened.

“Whoa,” he said. He was on a bridge, and another door ahead of him.

“Can’t be that easy.”

Ardyn’s laughter drifted around him. He ran across the metal bridge, sliding to a stop in front of the large metal door. It beeped quietly at him before sliding slowly upwards. Noctis dove into the chamber.

He sighed, heading for the only door with the lights on. 

This was going to take forever.

He missed Ignis.

FFXV

Gladio tensed. He could see glowing eyes getting closer to them. His fingers tightened on Ignis’ bicep. The first one stepped close enough for him to see.

“Magitek troopers,” he muttered, “a lot of them.”

Ignis was silent. There wasn’t much he could do. Gladio let go of his arm, preparing to punch and kick if he had too. He had dropped his makeshift club a while ago.

The MTs surrounded them, pressing closer, guns levelled at the two men. 

What a stupid way to die, again, Ignis thought bitterly.

“You don’t have to die, Ignis,” Ardyn’s voice came from behind him. 

Ignis froze. Gladio wasn’t reacting to Ardyn. It seemed only Ignis could hear him.

Ardyn slipped his arm over Ignis’ shoulder. He squeezed gently.

“I can help you, Ignis,” Ardyn said gently. Ignis turned his head slightly. “You have the ability, you just need to learn how to _use_ it.”

Ignis hunched his shoulders. Ardyn’s fingers brushed his arm. 

“You look simply ravishing in that imperial jacket, by the way,” Ardyn said, his lips against Ignis’ ear. 

“Why are they just standing there?” Gladio muttered. The MTs hadn’t moved. They just stared at them, eyes glowing softly.

“It’s all here, Ignis,” Ardyn tapped his fingers against Ignis’ chest, right above his heart. “I know you feel it, the Darkness inside you. The MTs are just waiting for a command. You could command them, bend them to your will, make them yours.”

Ignis’ breath hitched. Once the idea was planted, it bloomed within him. Could he take control of them? It was a stupid idea. There was no way. He didn’t even know what MTs really were.

“It’s so easy, Ignis,” Ardyn whispered. “Find that Dark spot within you. I know it’s there, waiting just beneath the surface. Think about what you could do.”

“How?” Ignis whispered, barely moving his lips. Could he use them to get to Noctis? Gladio was hopelessly lost. If he could really do what Ardyn whispered in his ear, could they get to Noctis?

Ardyn smiled wickedly. “Let me tell you.” He leaned forward, his lips right against Ignis’ ear, and started whispering.

Gladio swallowed. He half wished they would just open fire. He was getting freaked out by the MTs just standing there. He half turned to look at Ignis. Ignis just stood there, hands clenched around the head of the cane, head bowed. He thought he heard Ignis whisper something.

“What’d you say, Iggy?”

Ignis didn’t move, didn’t respond. Gladio’s heart rate shot up. What was going on?

Ignis’ head came up and Gladio took a step back, eyes wide. Those strange, horrifying tendrils of darkness were wrapped around Ignis, curling off him and dancing like flame.

“Ig…Ignis?” Gladio whispered.

Ignis took a step forward, the dark flames concentrating around his hands. Gladio reached out to grab him, but dropped his hands.

He was afraid to touch Ignis.

He was afraid _of_ Ignis.

Ignis walked right up to one of the MTs. His hand shot on and he grabbed the MT by the face. Gladio watched in horror as the darkness shot from Ignis and stabbed the MT directly in the forehead.

The Magitek trooper went completely rigid, the yellow glowing eyes shifting to dark purple. Gladio took another step back as those dark flames spread to every MT that was surrounding them. 

As one, every MT lowered their guns.

Gladio’s eyes shot back to Ignis. He stood there, in front of the MT, hands folded carefully on top of the cane, back perfectly straight, head held high.

In his imperial jacket, he looked every inch the imperial commander.

Gladio looked down at his own imperial jacket. He wished it wasn’t so cold, because he would make them both get rid of the damn things.

He looked back at Ignis. The man hadn’t moved since doing…whatever he had done. 

The eyes of every MT were dark purple. They all stared at Ignis like they were waiting for something.

Gladio thought he could hear Ardyn laughing.

Ignis took a deep breath.

“Take us to Noctis Lucis Caelum.”


	19. Now-The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the three are reunited, and search for Prompto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. Sorry the last chapter was such shit. Please forgive me. It was kind of a bridge chapter. And trying to translate chapter 13 into prose is kind of difficult. Fuck you chapter 13. This chapter is better. I wanted to get it out so fast to make up for the last one.  
> I was a little worried about the thing with Ignis, but I'm hoping it will make sense within the next few chapters. There's probably about 2-3 more chapters before we hit the timeskip. I am going to write a bit for the skip, focusing on Ignis. And then after the timeskip, all the fucking tears. ;~; Somehow, this has turned into Ignis' story. I really need a new summary. The old one has like, zero to do with the story now. That's what I get for a story that ran away from me. It was supposed to be three chapters. THREE.  
> On the note of the sword; since Noctis can't access the armiger to pull any other Royal Arms during this part, I made it so he can't put that sword IN the armiger. Also, it's cold in the empire, which is why they're all still wearing those imperial jackets that Gladio bought from Aranea a few chapters ago.  
> Thank you for your comments, and I hope this chapter is better than the last one.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Noctis was tired, hungry, and all around fed up with Ardyn. He wasn’t sure how long he had been wandering around Zegnautus Keep, constantly running into security blocks that he had to find a way to upgrade his key card, but he was done. 

He wanted to sleep for a year. It was like everything that had happened since they left the Crown City had finally caught up to him. His eyes burned with unshed tears and his muscles screamed with fatigue. 

He missed Ignis and the others, and worried about them. Prompto was somewhere in this facility, but he had no idea where. He hadn’t realized just how large this facility was.

Noctis was starting to lose hope.

Ardyn definitely wasn’t helping. He mocked Noctis as he stumbled around the keep. But he wasn’t consistent. Noctis would finally relax and Ardyn’s voice would crackle through the keep again. 

And then there was what Ardyn kept telling him.

Daemons and MTs used to be human. The Empire had done some nasty experiments, and somehow, turned people into daemons and eventually into MTs.

It was a terrifying thought. They had been killing people then entire time. Noctis didn’t want to think like that. How could people become daemons? Ardyn hadn’t explained that, and seemed to enjoy leaving Noctis in the dark.

Noctis had finally reached the central elevator after being led around by a fake Prompto. He had turned a corner only to see his friend running ahead of him. He had pounded after him, screaming his name, decimating any MT that was in his way.

He found Prompto in a cell, slumped sideways in a chair. He wiggled his way in and stood face to face with yet another daemon, an Arachne.

The damn thing wouldn’t stand still long enough for him to suck the life from it like he did the goblins, and he was having a hard time dodging the Arachne’s attacks. The Arachne ran at him, and Noctis lifted his right hand.

The ring glowed. Noctis could feel it draining his magic, and then, his magic exploded from the Ring, sucking the daemon into a void. Noctis collapsed immediately after, shaking. There had been so many colors and he could’ve sworn he saw stars and space while the daemon was being sucked into nothing.

The power of the Ring of the Lucii was terrifying.

He had come into the room holding Prompto and stood silently behind him. Prompto wasn’t moving, slumped sideways in the chair. When he touched his friend’s shoulder, Prompto was gone, and the MT collapsed to the floor.

Noctis had screamed, raging and kicking the MT’s body.

Ardyn had laughed. 

That had been hours ago. Noctis had no idea how much time had passed. Time seemed to have no meaning in this place.

He had finally reached the central elevator, but of course, it hadn’t worked. He had to find another security upgrade for his key card, and it had been past a very large daemon that made the Red Giants look like friendly next door neighbors. 

Luckily, he had been able to sneak past that one. With a new card in hand, he made it back to the tiny bridge that held the power for the elevator.

“This seems like a really stupid design,” he muttered, sticking the card in and turning it. He heard a deep humming sound and the thumps of huge lights kicking on. He turned and stared up at the elevator shaft, now lit with stark white lights.

He sighed. Almost there.

He started walking back across the bridge, making sure not to look down. It was a long drop.

He was nearly halfway across the bridge when Ardyn’s voice filtered back through the chamber, echoing off the high halls.

“The higher you climb…” Ardyn said as the huge daemon from before dropped in front of Noctis, making the whole platform shake crazily. Noctis grabbed the hand rails. 

“The further you fall,” Ardyn finished. The daemon swung its massive sword right into the bridge. The metal crumpled and gave. Noctis scrambled back, trying to reach the small platform that the power supply had been on, but it was no good. 

Noctis fell, his scream following him all the way down.

FFXV

Noctis groaned and rolled onto his side. Gods above, he hurt. How far had he fallen? He looked up and clenched his eyes shut. A damn long way seemed to be the answer. 

How in the hell had he survived that fall? 

He sat up, running his hands over his body. Nothing seemed broken. He was going to have some especially hellacious bruises, but all of his bones seemed to in the right place at least.

He stood up and groaned. Oh yeah, some really nasty bruises.

He looked around and froze. There was a hauntingly familiar sword driven into the floor, a metal hand clutching it hard. Ravus’ body lay next to it, his head turned towards Noctis and sightless eyes staring straight through him.

Noctis took a step forward, and another, his fingers grazing the pommel of the blade. The metal hand released, landing across Ravus’ chest. Noctis just stared. He had never like Ravus, and Ravus had never liked him, but Ravus looked small and sad in death.

He knelt next to Ravus and reached out, brushing his fingers over Ravus’ eyelids, closing them. The last of the line of the Oracles was dead.

With a sigh, Noctis stood up and looked at the sword. His father’s sword. He had loved looking at the blade as a child. It was a finely crafted weapon, and now it was his. 

He wrapped his hand around the hilt and pulled it from the floor. He stared at it. It fit his hand perfectly, just like the ring. 

With no access to the Armiger, he was going to have to carry it. He looked back down at Ravus. He had a belt with the hilt he had been carrying the sword in; he didn’t have access to a magical weapons locker.

Noctis knelt back down and unbuckled the belt, pulling it off Ravus’ body. “Sorry,” Noctis whispered, strapping the belt around his waist. He picked the sword up again.

“Rest easy, Ravus. Your work is done. And…thank you,” Noctis saluted Ravus’ body with the sword before sliding it home into the sheath. He looked up and sighed. 

It felt like he had miles to go before he could finally sleep.

FFXV

Gladio was terrified. He and Ignis were surrounded by twelve MTs. They were escorting them. They were doing, presumably, what Ignis had ordered them to do.

Gladio didn’t know what had happened. How had Ignis taken control of the Magitek troopers? What was that darkness that had shot from his hand into every single trooper around them?

After Ignis had ordered the troopers to take them to Noct, they had surrounded them and marched off. Ignis kept one hand on Gladio’s shoulder, and Gladio hoped the other man couldn’t tell how tense the fact that Ignis was touching him made him.

They had moved quickly, finally reaching an elevator into the keep. Gladio had definitely been going the wrong way.

Once they were in the keep, they had been ambushed by daemons. The MTs leapt in front of them, shielding them the daemons’ attacks, raising their guns and killing them quickly and efficiently.

Ignis had just stood there, head tilted slightly to the side, waiting for his MTs to finish dealing with the daemons.

It was unnerving as fuck.

“Where is everyone?” Gladio asked, “Shouldn’t there be people here?”

“I do not know,” Ignis replied quietly, his hand still on Gladio’s shoulder. “I imagine this place should have as many people as used to work in the citadel, but it is quiet.”

“Too quiet. It’s fucking creepy.”

Ignis was quiet for a moment. The only sounds were the heavy clanking of the MTs’ boots against the floor. 

“Speaking of creepy…” Gladio said. Ignis’ hand tightened on his shoulder. “What the hell did you do to them?”

“I have no idea,” Ignis said.

“That’s not comforting at all.”

“You think I like it?” Ignis snapped. Gladio flinched when one of the MTs turned and looked at him, purple eyes glowing.

The problem was, Ignis did know. After Ardyn had whispered in his ear, it had been so easy; find the Darkness that rested inside him and send it into the MT. It had been so easy to take command of all of them. 

It felt good.

It reminded him of how he had felt when he had thrown that fire spell at Gladio. The power that flowed through him was intoxicating. He knew that he shouldn’t like it, he shouldn’t have listened to Ardyn (the man had made him kill himself, after all), but he had to get to Noctis.

Noctis.

His heart twisted. Oh gods, what would Noct say about this? What if…what if Noctis left him?

He knew Gladio had been super tense ever since Ignis had taken command of the group of troopers. He could feel the bigger man practically quivering under his hand. Gladio didn’t want him to touch him. 

Ignis felt dirty, tainted.

Dark.

The MTs led them on, killing daemons and other MTs alike. They let nothing get through to Gladio and Ignis. 

They were getting closer to Noctis.

He thought he felt Ardyn’s hand on the small of his back, caressing him through his jacket. 

He thought he heard Ardyn laugh softly in his ear.

They kept walking.

FFXV

Noctis had decided quite some time ago that he really, really hated this place. It was a damn maze, swarming with weird Magitek troopers and daemons and Ardyn who would not shut the hell up. 

He had to admit that his father’s sword made life a hell of a lot easier. It had felt good to have a sword in his hand, slashing MTs and daemons apart. It had taken some time to get used to the belt around his waist, but he was so thankful to have the blade that he didn’t really care.

Ardyn had tried to poison him by flooding the corridor with gas. He’d finally gotten that under control, but his throat still burned. He was so tired. He had come across a small room with beds in it, and had sat for as long as he could stand. He had been worried that daemons or MTs would barge in, but he was mercifully left alone.

He was hungry, but he had no food and hadn’t come across any. 

He stepped through yet another door and stopped, staring. Wherever he was it was absolutely massive. It looked almost like a server farm that he had seen once on a field trip in high school.

He walked to the center of the chamber and peeked through an opening. A throne sat in the room.

“Bet there’s something in there, which means it’ll be locked. If there’s a lock, there’s a key,” Noctis muttered, stalking around to the back of the circular room. There it was, some kind of power switch. 

He flipped it on.

With a rumble, the entire platform started to rise.

“Whoa, wasn’t expecting that. Things are looking up.” He was mostly talking just to hear a voice (besides Ardyn’s) at this point. 

Gods, he missed the others. 

“How will this story end, I wonder?” Ardyn’s voice was back. It was almost playful.

Noct growled. “Gods damn it.” He’d actually been enjoying the silence.

“Intruder alert. Mobilizing dormant Magitek infantry,” a mechanical voice rang out through the facility.

“Son of a bitch,” Noctis snarled, pulling his sword out. The things that had looked like computer servers were opening, and MTs were leaping from them.

Some of the MTs collapsed as soon as they hit the platform, some missed the platform entirely and fell. The rest attacked Noctis as soon as they landed.

Ardyn was still talking. “Where are your friends? You don’t think they ran off without you?”

Noct’s sword made quick work of the MTs, but it seemed like as soon as he cut one down, another stepped into its place.

“You still haven’t found Gladio? And Ignis…only a matter of time before he bumbles into a trap,” Ardyn laughed.

Noctis screamed as he took the head off the closest Magitek trooper.

“You must feel very much alone right now,” Ardyn’s voice was darker. “I imagine that’s how Ignis feels. Alone in the darkness. Must be terrifying for him, not knowing if you stay with him out of love or pity, not knowing where he is. Only knowing how alone he is.”

“Shut! UP!” Noctis yelled. Ardyn didn’t get to talk about Ignis. Noctis loved Ignis. 

“I know what it’s like to be alone, Noct. I have been where Ignis is. I alone know what is going through his mind.”

“Shut up! You don’t know him!”

Ardyn just laughed. The last MT fell, and Noctis sheathed the sword, his arms trembling. He hated Ardyn. Ardyn didn’t know what he was talking about. Ignis was a good man, the best. Ignis wasn’t like Ardyn at all. 

He would never be like Ardyn. 

Noctis quickly found another console and raised the security clearance on his card again. He decided if he ever got the palace back, he wasn’t going to have security cards. He was sick of the things.

As soon as his security clearance rose, more MTs dropped out of the walls. With a yell, Noctis unsheathed his sword and leapt into the fray, imaging Ardyn’s face on every single one of them. 

Gods, there were so many of them. 

Daemons appeared, fighting side by side with the Magitek troopers. Noctis wanted to cry. It just wasn’t fair.

“Not so tough without your borrowed toys, are you?” Ardyn sneered. “You really are helpless without your friends babysitting you.”

Noctis scrambled past another daemon, slamming the sword into its chest as he passed. 

When it would it end?

His mind went blank as he fought. He lost track of time, concentrating only on cutting his adversaries apart, and occasionally using the ring to suck the life from the weaker daemons. 

He just wanted to rest.

Finally, the last MT fell. Noctis stood panting in the center of the room. He sheathed the sword and ran his fingers through his hair. He jogged over to the bridge that the rising platform had butted up against during the battle and opened the door there. 

More fucking hallways.

He was so fed up with this place. 

With a groan, Noctis continued forward. He thought he saw another safe room, but he decided to keep going. He couldn’t hide out in the safe rooms forever.

“In case there was any doubt; it’s a trap,” Ardyn’s voice said.

“No shit,” Noctis muttered. 

He shuffled down the hallway, stepping over inert Magitek troopers. He could see the door at the far end and picked up the pace.

A wall of lightning leapt up before him. He spun, seeing another crackle to life behind him.

“Shit!” he said, drawing his sword as the MTs at his feet stood up and started after him.

“A little pain never hurt anyone. Look what it did for Ignis! He’s so much better now!” Ardyn said with a laugh.

Noctis yelped when he hit the electrified wall. More MTs were waking up, and to make matters worse, the lightning walls were starting to close in on one another.

“I’ve really gone and done it now,” he said, slamming the pommel of his blade into the neck of one of the MTs. He leapt backwards as it exploded, taking out three others.

“Noct! Is that you?”

“Ignis!”

“Quickly, Gladio!” he heard Ignis’ voice, “There ought to be a kill switch nearby, find it!”

“Got it!”

Noctis’ hair stood on end as the two electrified walls closed in on him. He watched as Gladio and Ignis came into view, Gladio searching wildly and lunging for the wall.

The electrified gates went dark and slid open. Noctis scrambled out and straight into Ignis’ arms.

“Oh,” Ignis whispered in surprise, his arms folding around Noctis. Ignis buried his face against Noct’s hair. It smelled faintly of ozone; from the electricity he had heard, he assumed. Noctis clung to him, and Ignis held him tightly.

Gladio watched them, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. This whole thing felt like it was orchestrated. 

“You okay?” Gladio asked.

Noctis lifted his head from Ignis’ chest. “Better now. How’d you guys get here anyway?”

“Long story,” Gladio said shortly, his eyes darting to Ignis. Noctis felt Ignis tense slightly in his arms. Noctis glanced up at him. Ignis’ lips were drawn tight, and he looked unhappy. A tense silence drew out between them.

“At least we’re together,” Gladio said, breaking the silence.

“All but one of us,” Noctis said, resting his head back against Ignis’ chest. He could hear and feel Ignis’ heart pounding under his ear. 

He wondered what had happened. The way Gladio kept looking at Ignis was freaking him out. 

Ignis held onto him like he never wanted to let go.

FFXV

Most of their escort of MTs had been destroyed by other MTs and daemons. They had been led deeper and deeper into the keep, and Gladio was starting to wonder if they would ever reach Noct, or if this was some kind of trick.

He didn’t want to think Ignis would turn on them, but he had no explanation for Ignis’ sudden ability to take over MTs, let alone the terrifying, daemon-like darkness that had surrounded him.

They reached control room of some kind, and the remaining MTs took up positions by the doors. There were only three left. 

Ignis felt another hand on his waist. Ardyn.

“Noct is just ahead. Better hurry.”

“Noct!” Ignis called, striding away from Ardyn’s hands. Gladio turned and looked at him.

“You hear something?”

“Electricity.”

Gladio heard it too, the crackling of high voltage electricity. “Noct!”

Noctis was trapped in between two electrified walls that were shrinking towards him. 

“Quickly, Gladio!” Ignis called. “There ought to be a kill switch nearby, find it!”

“Got it!” Gladio yelled, seeing a switch on a console on the wall. He lunged forward and slammed his hand against the switch. He breathed a sigh of relief when the electricity shut off and Noctis stumbled from the hall straight to Ignis’ arms.

Gladio tensed, preparing himself to tear Noctis from Ignis’ arms if Ignis showed any signs of…anything. 

The only thing Ignis did was wrap his arms tight around the king and drop his face into his hair. Gladio slowly relaxed. 

“You okay?” Gladio asked.

Noct lifted his head from Ignis’ chest and looked at his shield. “Better now. How’d you guys get here, anyway?”

“Long story,” Gladio said tensely, glancing pointedly at Ignis. Noctis frowned. The silence drew on.

“At least we’re together,” Gladio said.

“All but one of us,” Noctis replied. 

Ignis clung tighter to him. Noctis thought he heard Ignis whimper softly. He ran his fingers down Ignis’ back.

Gladio looked at Noctis. He gestured at the sword.

“Where’d that come from?”

Noctis touched the hilt. “Ravus,” he said softly. “He was dead, but he had the sword. I found a letter he had written to Luna…he was going to give it to me.”

“And the scabbard?”

Noctis winced slightly and wrapped his arm back around Ignis. “I took it from Ravus’ body. Not like I could put it in the Armiger.”

Ignis’ hand dropped to Noct’s waist, feeling the belt and the sword.

“You have them all, now,” he whispered. Noctis looked up at him.

“All what?”

“The Royal Arms,” Ignis said reverently. Noctis sucked in a startled breath. Ignis was right. His father’s blade completed the collection. He had all thirteen Royal Arms. He rested his forehead against Ignis’ shoulder, blinking back tears. He hoped his father would be proud of him.

Ignis seemed to know what he was thinking. His fingers found Noct’s cheek, and he tilted Noctis’ head up.

“Your father would be so proud of you,” Ignis whispered. Noctis bit back a sob, clinging to Ignis. Ignis kissed his forehead. Noctis tilted his head back and stood on his toes, pressing his lips to Ignis’. Ignis seemed surprised, but slowly returned the kiss.

Gladio turned his head, giving them a moment of privacy. Noctis was going to find out about Ignis’ creepy new ability. He took a deep breath. 

“Do we have any idea where Prompto and the Crystal are?” Gladio asked.

Ignis pulled back from the kiss, his cheeks flushed. He had forgotten that Gladio was there.

“The Crystal is at the highest point, I think,” Noctis said. “I have no idea where Prompto is.” Noctis’ voice was pained. He felt so guilty for pushing Prompto off the train. “This place is massive. I got lost so many times…”

Ignis’ arms tightened around him again. Gladio stared at Ignis, his eyes narrow. Noctis frowned at him. 

“Ignis?” Gladio asked. Ignis went rigid in Noct’s arms.

“Yes, Gladio?” Ignis said softly. There was a dangerous edge to his voice. Noctis swallowed hard.

“Maybe you could ask your friends to take us to Prompto?”

Noctis frowned at Gladio. “What are you talking about?”

Abruptly, Ignis let go of him and stepped back. Noctis swallowed a whine at the loss of contact, turning to watch Ignis.

Then he saw the three Magitek troopers that were standing placidly by the door, guns in hand, muzzles pointing straight up at the ceiling.

Their eyes glowed purple and Noctis frowned. He didn’t think he had seen that before. 

He looked at Gladio again, who was just watching Ignis with a tight expression on his face. 

What in the hell was going on?

Ignis stood silently in the middle of the room. He bowed his head and took a deep breath. He trembled. He didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t order the MTs in front of Noctis. Noctis would hate him.

He shuddered as Ardyn’s arm came around his waist. “You don’t have a choice, Ignis,” he whispered against Ignis’ ear. “The longer you wait, the more pain poor Prompto is in. You can help your friends. All you need to do is _ask_.”

Gladio took a step forward. Ignis looked exactly how he did right before he had taken command of the MTs hours ago. 

Noctis stared between the two men. What the hell had happened? He didn’t think it was left over emotional shit from Ignis dying on the train. Something had happened after they had been separated, something that Gladio didn’t like.

He turned his attention back to Ignis. His eyes ran over his advisor. Ignis looked terrible, although Noct was sure he didn’t look much better. His skin was so pale Noct almost thought he could see blue veins under his skin. He had dark circles under his eyes and his body shook with fatigue. 

There was something weird about the way he was just standing there, almost like he was listening to someone.

“Ignis?” Noct asked quietly.

Ignis took a deep breath and lifted his head. The three MTs snapped to attention, their eyes locked on Ignis. Noctis thought he saw those dark tendrils wrapping around Ignis’ fingers, but when he blinked, they were gone. 

“Take us to the prisoner,” Ignis said. His voice had taken on a different cadence. He was ordering the MTs. 

Noctis’ eyes widened as two of the MTs filed out of the door. Gladio sighed.

“C’mon. They got us here. They probably know where Prompto is,” Gladio said shortly, walking by Noctis to follow the two MTs.

Noctis stared at Ignis. The third MT watched Ignis avidly.

“Ignis?” Noctis whispered.

Ignis’ shoulders hunched and he turned away from Noctis. “Your Majesty,” he said.

“What did you do?”

Ignis took a shuddering breath. Noctis thought it sounded like he was trying not to cry.

“I do not know, Majesty,” he said. “They led us to you. I assume the chancellor is behind it.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.” Noctis watched Ignis. Ignis wasn’t telling him something. It made his heart hurt. “C’mon. At least we have a guide now. I’ve been wandering this place for hours.”

He would have to figure out just what Ignis had done later. Right now, he would take the guide to Prompto. He walked forward and put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis flinched, like he wasn’t expecting Noctis to touch him.

“Let’s move, Specs,” he said.

“Of course,” Ignis said softly. 

The third MT fell into step behind them as they walked out of the room.

FFXV

The Magitek troopers led them to a control room. Television screens filled the walls; some were full of static, others showed various parts of the keep.

No one had said a word as they walked down the hall. Ignis trailed after them, the last MT waiting patiently behind him. Gladio strolled ahead, glancing back at the others occasionally. His brow furrowed whenever he locked his eyes on Ignis.

Noctis would have to ask him what happened, if they ever had a moment to stop and breathe. 

“Check this out,” Gladio said, looking into an open room. “Imperial conference room.”

“Whoa,” Noctis said. The imperial flag and coat of arms was on the screens behind the strangely shaped table. A hologram of Zegnautus Keep hovered above the table.

“Doesn’t really reflect the size of the place, does it?” Gladio asked, staring at the hologram.

“Nope,” Noctis said softly. He walked over to the screens and turned them off. He didn’t want to look at the imperial flag. Ignis was waiting for them back in the control room. Noctis touched Gladio’s arm, stopping him.

“What happened?” he asked softly.

Gladio ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, Noct. One minute, we were surrounded by MTs, the next, Ignis grabs one by the forehead and their eyes turn purple and they’re doing whatever he commands. There were twelve of them. They fought daemons and other MTs, not letting anything touch us.”

“ _Ignis_ did it? Not Ardyn?” Noctis said.

“I never saw Ardyn,” Gladio whispered. “Not to say that Ignis wasn’t hearing him…”

Noctis glanced back at Ignis, leaning against a console, waiting for them. “Ardyn’s been fucking with me the entire time I’ve been here. He’s watching us from somewhere, taunting us.”

“We know he likes messing with Ignis,” Gladio said. He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of the dark flames that Ignis had sent into the MTs. The subject scared the hell out of him.

Noctis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s just go find Prompto. There’s safe rooms scattered around this place. I wasn’t bothered when I stayed in them. We can take him there after we get him and rest up a bit.”

“Good idea,” Gladio said, clapping Noctis on the shoulder. He was dismayed at how tired Noctis looked. They were all exhausted, pushed beyond reason. “We have no idea what kind of condition Prompto is going to be in…”

“The faster we get to him the faster we can get the Crystal and get the hell out of this place,” Noctis said, walking back into the control room.

“Amen,” Gladio muttered, following his king. 

FFXV

Ignis leaned against one of the consoles, waiting for the others. His fingers tapped the top of his cane. He heard soft footsteps and lifted his head.

“It must hurt that they talk about you behind your back,” Ardyn said, leaning next to Ignis.

Ignis didn’t respond. Ardyn chuckled and cupped Ignis’ chin.

“Come now, don’t be like that. We’ve grown so close,” Ardyn said, his fingers caressing Ignis’ scars. Ignis didn’t move.

“Soon, the four of you will be reunited. Can’t you just taste the excitement in the air? Can’t you just imagine how happy Prompto will be to see all of you again?” Ardyn’s breath tickled Ignis’ cheek.

“Especially _you_ , Ignis. Prompto will simply scream with excitement when he sees you.”

Ignis pulled back. Ardyn laughed, striding forward and kissing Ignis’ cheek. “See you soon.”

“Ignis?” Noctis said, walking towards him. Ignis had been standing completely still again, and then he had suddenly jumped back. 

“Noct?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah. Everything good?” Noctis asked, glancing at Gladio. 

Ignis swallowed. “Fine,” he whispered. 

Noctis touched his shoulder gently. Ignis leaned into him slightly.

“This door is locked,” Gladio said, standing in front of the locked door that the MTs were standing in front of.

“Well, let’s unlock it then,” Noctis said, reaching around Ignis and studying the console for a moment. He flipped a couple of switches and the lights on the door turned green.

Noctis took a step towards the door, but Gladio stopped him. “Hang on a sec. Are we really going to go get Prompto with an MT escort? Gods know what’s been done to him.”

Noctis frowned. “You’re right.” He turned back to Ignis and touched his arm. Ignis jumped, sucking in a startled breath. Noctis frowned.

“Iggy? Can you…ah…hell, I don’t know.”

“Get rid of them,” Gladio said. “I don’t think Prompto needs to see them.”

Ignis took a shuddering breath. He didn’t think that the MTs were going to be the problem.

“Of course,” Ignis muttered, stepping away from the console and Noctis. He lifted his hand. Noctis was reminded suddenly of the way he would lift his hand and suck the life from daemons with the ring.

The three MTs went completely rigid. Noctis gasped as dark flame engulfed all three of them. He took a step back, unable to tear his eyes from Ignis.

The dark fire leapt from the MTs to Ignis’ hand, curling around his arm like a snake, before darting down his throat. Ignis swallowed convulsively and staggered sideways as the Magitek troopers collapsed in a shower of sparks. 

Noctis managed to grab Ignis’ arm before the man hit the ground. He looked up at Gladio, his eyes wide.

Gladio looked just as shocked as he felt. They stared at each other while Ignis pulled himself slowly upright. 

Ignis touched his throat. Gods above, that had hurt! It had felt like swallowing fire, a cold fire that burned everything it touched.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked, his hand still on Ignis’ shoulder.

Ignis turned his head towards Noctis, a sinking feeling in his gut. Noctis sounded afraid. 

He was afraid of Ignis.

Ignis wanted to weep. He never wanted Noctis to be afraid of him. 

“Noctis, I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

Noctis squeezed his shoulder, trying not to let Ignis know how much what he had just done scared the shit out of him.

Gladio’s eyes were wide, shocked. He gave Noctis a quizzical look. Noctis shrugged. He had no idea.

“Let’s go get Prompto,” Gladio said.

“Yeah. This looks like a prison,” Noctis said, giving Ignis’ shoulder one last squeeze and stepping away from him. 

He flipped another switch on the console and sparse lights came up in the corridor.

“Definitely a prison,” Gladio said, looking at the cells. He swallowed hard. There were bodies in some of the cells.

Noctis took off at a quick walk down the corridor. He covered his nose as he got further down the stretch of cells. Gods it stunk. The bodies in the cells had decayed. Some were mummified, others were fresher, bloated with gas.

He prayed that Prompto wasn’t one of the bodies. He didn’t know what he would do if Prompto was dead. It would be his fault if Prompto was dead. If only Ardyn hadn’t fooled him on the train.

Noctis came to a sudden halt, his eyes wide. He thought back to what Ignis had said after he woke up screaming after their stop in Tenebrae.

_“We’ll find Prompto in a prison. He will be gravely injured, and he will never trust me again.”_

Gladio stopped next to him. He could hear Ignis making his way slowly down the corridor, his cane tapping the floor in front of him.

“What’s up?” Gladio asked.

“Ignis said we’d find him in a prison,” Noctis whispered, looking up at Gladio. Gladio’s eyes widened as he remembered. He glanced back at Ignis.

“We’ll have to talk about it later. We need to get to Prompto,” Gladio said. His voice sounded dry.

“Yeah…I know,” Noctis said. He was worried about Ignis. There was definitely something going on with Ignis. Nothing had been the same since Altissia. 

They waited for Ignis to draw even with them and the three men continued slowly down the corridor. Ignis was silent. He knew what they would find, and it terrified him.

“Oh, gods,” Gladio said, stopping before the last cell, “Prompto…”

Noctis wrenched the cell gate open and they stepped in. Prompto hung from the ceiling, arms chained above his head. He was naked. His midriff was covered in scars, and he had a strange circular scar around his left nipple. 

Noctis could see blood and Prompto’s excrement on the floor, staining the drain. It explained the smell. He fought the urge to throw up.

“Is he alive?” Ignis asked softly.

“Barely,” Gladio growled. His fists clenched at his sides and he fought the urge to scream. He was going to murder Ardyn for doing this to Prompto. 

Noctis had seen a blanket in one of the other cells, and he rushed past Ignis to grab it. He darted back into the cell, carefully covering his friend’s body.

Gladio stepped forward. Prompto’s whole weight was hanging from his arms. Gladio reached down and, as gently as possible, pulled Prompto against him. Noctis stepped around him and managed to lower the chains. 

As soon as the chains were lowered, the manacles unsnapped, freeing the blonde. Gladio cradled Prompto’s body against him, blinking back tears. He looked at Noct.

“Lead the way to one of those safe rooms. We gotta get him cleaned up,” Gladio’s voice was rough with emotion. 

“Got it,” Noctis said, swallowing hard. He touched Ignis’ chest as he walked by, Gladio close on his heels.

Prompto’s head rested on Gladio’s shoulder, and Gladio could feel Prompto’s haggard breath against his neck. Ignis followed carefully, his heart pounding in his chest.

What would happen when Prompto woke up? Would Prompto wake up or had they gotten to him too late?

Gladio’s arms tightened around Prompto. He just wanted Prompto to wake up. He wanted to see those blue eyes again. 

Noctis led the way down the corridors back to the safe room he had passed what felt like a life time ago. He kept glancing back at Gladio, Prompto limp and lifeless in his arms. Gladio looked pissed and scared. He could just make out Ignis behind Gladio.

They reached the room and the door opened. Noctis went straight to one of the beds and pulled the scratchy wool blanket off it. Gladio walked in after him. Ignis stopped just inside the door, listening to it shut behind him. 

Prompto moaned. The world was moving. Why was the world moving?

Gladio looked down at him. “Prompto? I got you. I got you.”

Prompto shifted against Gladio, a soft cry escaping his chapped lips.

His eyes fluttered opened. He was looking over Gladio’s shoulder, and his eyes locked on Ignis.

Ignis, in his imperial jacket, standing stock still, waiting for Prompto to wake.

Ignis, face drawn, almost angry looking.

Prompto couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ignis. 

Gladio heard a pained cry escape Prompto and he looked down at the smaller man.

Prompto stared at Ignis and started to scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 
> 
>  
> 
> But I have promises to keep, 
> 
>  
> 
> And miles to go before I sleep, 
> 
>  
> 
> And miles to go before I sleep.
> 
>  
> 
> That made me think of Noctis in chapter 13. Thought I'd share. Robert Frost, 'stopping by woods on a snowy evening'


	20. Now-The Drinking of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Gladio comforts Prompto and Ignis learns a new trick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm assuming people are still reading this? I liked this chapter, even if it did get longer than I anticipated. I spent a lot more time on Gladio and Prompto than I thought I would. Skirting the edges of Promptio. Noct has a very tiny role in this chapter. He comes back in the next one.  
> I hope the length of this hasn't chased people away. I know it's long. I know it's dark. But I hope people are still reading it and enjoying it. Please let me know if you are.  
> Thank you for the comments. They truly make my day.  
> As always, kudos and comments are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-The Drinking of Darkness

Gladio hadn’t even had time to set Prompto on the bed when he started screaming. His body twisted in Gladio’s arms, the blanket that Noctis had wrapped around him falling to the floor in a heap.

His fingers clawed at Gladio’s arms. The high, thin wail escaping his throat made the hair rise on the back of Gladio’s neck. Prompto struggled, trying desperately to get away from Gladio’s grip.

Noctis touched Prompto’s shoulder. “Prompto, it’s okay! You’re okay! We’ve got you!” Noctis quickly undid his sword belt, tossing the belt and blade on one of the other beds.

Prompto just kept screaming. Gladio struggled to get him down on the bed, and he became aware of the sharp stench of urine.

Prompto had wet himself. He was so terrified that he had no control over his body. Gladio felt a wave of sadness and anger wash over him.

What had set Prompto off?

Gladio followed Prompto’s eyes and nearly dropped Prompto in surprise. Prompto was staring straight at Ignis, screaming like he was the most terrifying thing Prompto had ever seen.

Ignis was just standing there, back pressed hard against the wall, a distressed look on his face.

Noctis stepped in front of Prompto’s line of sight, cutting off his view of Ignis. Prompto’s screams faded to pained whimpers. He kept twisting in Gladio’s arms. Gladio finally dropped to the bed, Prompto’s body landing across his.

It put Ignis back in Prompto’s sights. 

Prompto stared at Ignis. Ignis was going to cut him again, taunt him, whisper nightmares in his ear. He knew it. He knew Ignis had enjoyed it. 

He started screaming again. 

Noctis and Gladio were so focused on Prompto that neither one of them heard the door open. Neither one of them noticed Ignis turn and walk from the room.

Prompto started to sob, clinging to Gladio. Gladio cooed softly to him, stroking his matted hair.

It took him a moment to realize Prompto was whispering into his chest. 

“Prompto?” Gladio asked, his hand stilling on the back of Prompto’s head.

“…real?” Prompto asked.

“What?” Noctis asked, leaning close to Prompto and Gladio. Prompto turned his head slightly and reached out a trembling hand to Noct. Noctis took it in both of his immediately, squeezing his friend’s hand.

“You guys are real?” Prompto’s voice shook.

Noctis’ eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but Gladio beat him to it.

“Of course we’re real! We’re here, Prompto, we’re not going to let Ardyn hurt you again.”

Prompto squeezed his eyes shut, tears rolling down his dirty cheeks. “It was Ignis,” he cried, that panicked wail trying to work its way back out of his throat.

“Ignis was with us the entire time,” Noctis said softly, his thumb drawing circles on Prompto’s hand.

Gladio shook his head slightly at Noctis. Now was not the time to argue with Prompto.

Gladio hugged him tighter, and Prompto’s head fell onto his chest. “No matter what, we’re here, Prompto.”

“You guys came for me,” Prompto whispered, choking back sobs.

“We wouldn’t have left you,” Noctis said firmly. “You’re one of the Chocobros, remember?”

Prompto gave him a watery smile. They had come for him. They hadn’t left him alone in the dark, in this horrible place.

The place he had come from.

Oh gods, he was naked. His wrist was naked. They would be able to see the codeprint! They would know he was an MT!

He started struggling again, pushing away from Gladio’s warm body. Gladio sat up, pulling Prompto against him.

“Calm down, Prompto,” he whispered, running his hands down Prompto’s back.

“You’ll hate me!” Prompto wailed, trying to get away from Gladio. He yanked his hand away from Noctis. “He said you’d all hate me!”

Noctis and Gladio looked at each other. 

“Prompto, we’re not going to hate you,” Gladio said. “Like Noct said, you’re one of us. You’re stuck with us.” 

Prompto clung to the front of Gladio’s jacket, his face buried in the crook of the shield’s neck. Gladio could feel his hot tears hitting his skin.

Noctis sat back and rubbed his face. He hated seeing Prompto like this. If he hadn’t pushed Prompto from the train, none of this would’ve happened. If he had only taken a moment to think when he was on top of the train, he should’ve been able to figure it out.

He turned to look at Ignis and froze. Ignis was gone.

“Gladio,” he said sharply. 

Gladio frowned at him and looked up. “What?”

“Where’s Iggy?”

Prompto tensed in Gladio’s arms at Ignis’ nickname. He whimpered, trying to get closer to Gladio. Gladio would protect him from anything. Gladio absentmindedly stroked Prompto’s back, his fingers running over the new scars on his midriff. 

Gladio’s eyes widened when he realized that Ignis wasn’t in the room.

“Shit. He can’t be wandering around this place. He’ll die, again.”

Noctis frowned at him. Gladio hadn’t needed to say that. It still hurt, thinking of Ignis lying dead before him. Noctis grabbed his sword belt and buckled it around his waist. 

Gladio stared at him. “You’re going to find him,” he said flatly, his arms tightening around Prompto.

Noctis turned and looked at him. “I’m not leaving him out there at the mercy of whatever, or whoever, wants to fuck with him. You can’t seriously think that Ignis actually did this,” he gestured at Prompto. “He was with us the entire time.”

“You sure it was him?” Gladio asked softly. Noctis’ eyes narrowed and he took a step toward Gladio.

“We can’t let Ardyn drive us apart, Gladio,” Noctis said shortly, his fists clenching at his side. He and Gladio stared at each other, Prompto shivering in Gladio’s arms.

Gladio finally bowed his head. “Of course, your Majesty.”

Noctis growled softly. He hated it when they felt the need to address him as king, but he wasn’t going to let Gladio drive Ignis off. 

He needed all three of them. They were stronger together.

Noctis sighed. “Get Prompto cleaned up. There might be some clothes or something in here. Seems like the former residents left in a hurry.”

“Got it,” Gladio said quietly.

Noctis pointed to a door in the back of the safe room. “Bathroom with communal showers. I’ll be back in a while.” 

He looked at Prompto, his face screwing up as he tried not to cry. “I’ll knock when we come back.”

He turned back to the door and waited while it opened. He stepped back out into the hallway, leaving Gladio and Prompto alone.

FFXV

Ignis walked down the corridor as quickly as he could. His ruined eyes burned. His fault. His fault that Prompto was in pain.

Ardyn had been right. Prompto would never trust him again. How could he? Ignis knew what Ardyn had done to him. He had watched the knife flay his skin from his abdomen, he could almost feel his fingers digging into Prompto’s chest.

He wasn’t sure how far he had gone when he tripped. He landed hard on his hands and knees, struggling not cry. He could feel the imperial jacket around him, and it felt like it was getting tighter, cutting off his air.

He sat back, fingers struggling to unbutton the jacket. His fingers brushed the hole he had caused when he had stabbed himself, the whole front of the jacket was stiff with dried blood. He let out a soft cry, finally freeing himself from the jacket and throwing it aside.

Wicked, hateful thing. 

Just like him. 

He couldn’t stand up. His body hurt, muscles screaming from days of abuse and lack of sleep. 

He started to crawl. He had to get as far away as possible from the others. He was dragging them down. They didn’t need him.

His knees and palms protested as he crawled and crawled. He bit back a sob. 

Useless.

Noctis should’ve left him dead on that train. Noctis could move on. Noctis could fulfill the prophecy and be together with Lady Lunafreya in death.

Ignis felt a hand on his shoulder. He froze, curling into a ball at the person’s feet. He pressed his forehead against the person’s boots. He felt the edges of a long jacket brush his face.

“Get up,” Ardyn’s voice said softly. He reached down and grabbed Ignis under the arms, easily lifting the man to his feet.

Ignis swayed, the sudden change disorienting him. Ardyn took Ignis’ arm and laced it through his. 

“Let us walk, Ignis,” Ardyn said, strolling slowly down the corridor. Ignis didn’t say anything, but he didn’t fight Ardyn. Ardyn radiated heat, slowly warming Ignis’ cold body.

Ardyn led Ignis back to the control room, and finally through to the dark conference room. He directed Ignis to a chair. Ignis sat carefully, hands clasped on his lap.

“Why are you doing this to us?” Ignis whispered.

Ardyn tilted his head, running his fingers through Ignis’ hair. “To make Noctis suffer.”

Ignis bowed his head. Ardyn’s nails dragged along his scalp.

“I have nothing against Prompto, or Gladiolus, or even you,” Ardyn said, “But hurting you makes Noctis suffer.”

“What has Noctis done to you? Why do you hate him so much?” Ignis asked.

Ardyn fisted his hand in Ignis’ hair and tilted his head back. “Telling you would ruin the surprise. I am glad you didn’t stay dead though. I’m so happy you’ll be able to join us for the finale.”

Ignis flinched, his hands curling on his thighs. He could feel the scars on his thighs and he wished he had a dagger, a knife, or hell, even a pen to chase away the pain behind his eyes.

Ardyn smiled. “Poor Ignis. If only there was a way for you to chase the pain away.” Ardyn spun Ignis around in the wheeled chair. Ignis clutched the arms of the chair, a strangled gasp tearing from his throat.

Ardyn stopped Ignis’ spin when he was facing away from him. He pulled the chair against him, Ignis’ shoulders coming to rest on Ardyn’s stomach. He rested his hand on Ignis’ shoulder and leaned down, his hand sliding down Ignis’ chest.

“I can teach you a better way to chase away the pain, Ignis,” Ardyn whispered, his breath hot against Ignis’ ear. “It’s so easy. Let me teach you.”

“What do you get out of it?” Ignis asked.

Ardyn smiled. “Satisfaction from spreading knowledge, of course. It will help you, Ignis, I promise you that.”

Ardyn stroked his chest. “You’ll be able to fight again once you perfect this technique. You’ll be able to protect Noctis.”

Ignis sucked in a startled breath. Ardyn massaged his shoulder and chest, and Ignis found himself leaning into the touch. He was so afraid that no one would touch him again.

“Isn’t that what you want, Ignis?” Ardyn whispered, “to protect the king to your dying breath?”

“Yes…” Ignis whispered, hating himself. He had to protect Noctis, and right now he couldn’t. He could barely function.

“Let me teach you,” Ardyn said, squeezing Ignis’ shoulder.

Ignis bowed his head briefly. Ardyn waited, his lips curled in a cruel smile.

“Yes,” Ignis said. “Teach me.”

FFXV

Gladio sighed as the door slid shut behind Noctis. Prompto was still clinging to his jacket, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Gladio hugged him briefly and pushed him back a bit. “Sit here for a moment. I’m gonna see what’s in this place.”

Prompto looked at him, his eyes wide. “You’re not going to leave?”

Gladio shook his head. “No. I’ll be right here. You can watch me the entire time.”

“Okay,” Prompto said, pulling a blanket around his shoulders. Gladio squeezed his arm and stood up. He opened the trunk at the end of the bed, digging through it.

“Great,” Gladio said, pulling out clothes. He tossed them on a different bed, digging deeper into the trunk. He pulled out a box of granola bars and a case of potions.

“Sweet,” he said, yanking a potion out and handing it to Prompto. “Drink this.”

“Drink it?” Prompto asked, reaching for it with a wince. His shoulders hurt from gods knew how many days of being strung up by his arms.

Gladio looked at him seriously. “Without Noct’s magic, cracking it will only make a mess. They’re less effective when you drink it, but it’ll still help.”

Prompto’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, ‘without Noct’s magic’?”

Oh yeah, Gladio thought, Prompto didn’t know.

Gladio sat on the bed next to him. He took the potion back and popped the top off, handing it back to Prompto.

“Drink,” Gladio said.

Prompto lifted it to his lips and flinched as he swallowed it. “It’s slimy!”

“Feel better?”

Prompto blinked. He rolled his shoulders and sighed. His shoulders had been killing him, and the pain had lessened.

“Yeah,” he said wonderingly, staring at the empty potion flask.

“Good,” Gladio said. “Anyway, on the train, right before we got to Gralea, a bunch of daemons attacked and when we tried to access our weapons we couldn’t. Someone, the chancellor I assume, somehow cut off Noct’s ability to access the Armiger and magic.”

Prompto looked at his hand and tried to summon his guns. Nothing. He shook slightly, drawing the blanket tighter around him.

“We need to get you cleaned up,” Gladio said softly, standing up again. He took the blanket from the cells and dropped it onto the puddle of urine. Prompto blushed and looked away, blinking back tears.

Gladio just touched his shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get you in the shower. Then I’ll see what I can whip up in that kitchenette in the corner.”

Prompto stood up, swaying alarmingly. Gladio caught him before he collapsed.

“Sorry,” Prompto whispered.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Gladio said, holding Prompto against him. “You haven’t walked in a while.”

Prompto nodded against Gladio’s chest. 

Gladio lifted him easily and carried him to the communal bathroom. There were two toilets and an open shower area with multiple shower heads. Small lockers lined the wall.

“What was this place?” Prompto asked as Gladio sat him down a bench.

“No clue,” Gladio said, opening one of the lockers and discovering towels. He pulled them out and set them on the bench next to Prompto. “We haven’t seen anything but daemons and MTs the entire time we’ve been here, but it seems like these were barracks or something for employees.”

Gladio glanced at Prompto. “How do you want to do this?” he asked bluntly.

Prompto fingered the edge of the blanket. “I don’t know…” he sounded close to tears again. He didn’t want Gladio to see the scars where his stretch marks used to be.

Gladio nodded and stood next to him. He quickly unbuttoned the imperial jacket and tossed it aside.

“Where’d you get that?” Prompto asked softly.

“Bought them from Aranea in Tenebrae,” Gladio said.

Prompto closed his eyes. He had so been looking forward to seeing Tenebrae, seeing where Lady Lunafreya had lived. He had heard it was a beautiful place.

“Aranea asked about you,” Gladio said. Prompto looked up at him.

“She did?” 

“Yeah, she did.”

Prompto tried to smile. Before Altissia, the thought of Aranea (or Cindy, or hell, Iris) asking about him would’ve made him grin like an idiot. He couldn’t bring himself to care.

Gladio touched his shoulder.

“Tell me what happened?” Prompto asked, looking at his feet. His toes were stained with blood and other bloodily fluids. He could feel piss and blood and shit caked on his legs. He shuddered. He was disgusting. How could Gladio touch him? 

“Where do you want me to start?” Gladio asked, pulling off his tank top and draping it over the bench. Prompto stared at his back, the feathers of the eagle tattoo drawing his eye.

“After Noct…”

“Pushed you?”

Prompto nodded, curling his toes against the tile. 

“You know he didn’t mean it, right?”

“I know,” Prompto said softly. “I got on the roof and Ardyn was there. He made himself look like me, and I guess he made me look like him. Noct looked so horrified when he realized…”

“He was,” Gladio said. “Ardyn knocked him out. He was out for a while, almost an hour. Ignis was frantic because neither one of you were answering your phones. Once Noct woke up, he called Ignis. We were almost to Tenebrae, and Ignis said that we couldn’t stop the train, we had to get the civilians off.”

“Ignis said that?” Prompto whispered, fingering the blanket. Gladio froze, thinking about how that could sound to someone who believed Ignis had tortured him.

“He didn’t want to leave you any more than the rest of us did,” Gladio said. “By the time we learned what had happened we were well past you. Plus, you probably weren’t there very long. I imagine Ardyn had you captured pretty quickly.”

“I don’t remember,” Prompto said. “I was cold, I knew that. I think I was ambushed somewhere in the mountains? I remember being dragged somewhere, but I was blindfolded…and then…”

Gladio sat down and unlaced his boots, listening intently. His hands shook as he pulled his boots off. He hoped Prompto didn’t notice.

“I was chained up,” Prompto said. “I came to and Ignis was there. He took my shirt off…he cut-cut-“ Prompto tried not to start crying again.

Gladio put his hand on Prompto’s shoulder.

“He said he was going to get rid of my stretch marks,” Prompto said in a rush. Gladio’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

“I don’t…remember much. Bits and pieces. He was always there though, laughing at me. Taunting me…”

Gladio pulled Prompto against him in a one armed hug.

“After we got to Tenebrae, Aranea agreed to take the civilians. She’s in search and rescue now, quit the imperial army. She gave us Biggs and Wedge to drive the train…I hope they’re okay…” Gladio muttered.

“What happened?”

“A lot,” Gladio said dryly. “It’s been a crazy couple of days.” He stood up and undid his pants. Prompto’s eyes widened.

“I’m not getting in the shower with leather pants on,” Gladio said dryly. He kept his boxer briefs on; he didn’t want to make Prompto any more uncomfortable than he had to.

“Makes sense,” Prompto squeaked.

Gladio looked at him, straight in the eye. “I need you tell me if anything I do makes you uncomfortable, Prompto.”

Prompto nodded, his eyes huge in his face.

Gladio knelt next to him. “Prompto, I don’t want to ask this but…” he took one of Prompto’s hands, squeezing it gently. “Were you raped?”

Prompto shook his head. “No. He never did anything like that,” Prompto whispered. “He just liked to cut me.”

Gladio sighed, pressing Prompto’s hand against his forehead. Thank the gods for small favors.

“Sorry I had to ask,” Gladio said, standing up. 

“I understand,” Prompto whispered, staring at their hands. 

“C’mon,” Gladio said, pulling him to his feet. He let Prompto stand there for a second, getting his feet under him. 

Gladio smiled wryly at him and walked to the shower, turning it on and letting the water turn warm. Prompto dropped the blanket and shuffled slowly over to him. He kept his eyes down, not wanting to meet Gladio’s gaze.

He knew his body was scarred. He had been healed multiple times, the potion absorbing into his skin like normal. He frowned. How had that been possible if Noct had been cut off from his magic?

Gladio gripped Prompto’s bicep and guided the smaller man into the water. Prompto gasped as the water pounded over his body. It felt kind of like a massage. He watched the water turn pink and brown as it washed off his body. He was glad that the water made it impossible for Gladio to see his tears.

“Gladio?”

“Yeah?” Gladio asked, keeping his hand on Prompto to steady him.

“What happened after Tenebrae?” Concentrating on Gladio’s voice kept some of the memories at bay, it gave him something to think about besides how much his shoulders still hurt.

“We got on the train and started heading towards Gralea. Got Ignis to try to sleep, which he hasn’t done since that day after the mine, and we were all sleeping,” Gladio handed Prompto a bottle of soap. He kept his head turned, so Prompto wouldn’t feel scrutinized. 

Prompto just liked knowing he was there. He had never liked showering with the other guys in gym class, but Gladio made him feel safe.

Gladio rested his head against the tiled wall, eyes closed. “Ignis woke up screaming. He bit Noctis, and then told us we’d find you in a prison, hurt.”

Prompto’s eyes widened. “He knew?”

Gladio opened his eyes and looked at Prompto. “We didn’t believe him,” he said softly. “ _I_ didn’t believe him. I thought he was going crazy. I think he is crazy…”

Prompto’s hands shook as he tried to lift his arms to dump soap on his head. He hissed. His shoulders still hurt.

“Here,” Gladio muttered, taking the soap from him and putting some in his hands. He turned Prompto away from him and gently scrubbed his head. Prompto stood perfectly still under his hands. Gladio’s fingers in his hair felt absolutely heavenly. 

“Noct went to find Ignis after that dream,” Gladio continued. “I don’t know what happened, but Ignis came back wearing different clothes and we sat and ate some chicken nuggets. We made a plan for once we got to Gralea.”

He pushed Prompto under the stream of water again, letting the water wash the soap from his hair.

“A while later, Biggs and Wedge had to stop the train. We fought daemons, and then shit got real weird.”

He handed Prompto the soap and leaned against the wall again. Prompto carefully scrubbed his body.

“I don’t actually remember a lot of what happened. It was cold as fuck. Ignis and I both blacked out, but when we woke up, Noctis said that he had seen the Glacian. He asked us to check on Biggs and Wedge…”

Gladio swallowed. Prompto looked at him, handing him the soap.

“Ignis could barely move,” Gladio whispered, his eyes focused on something far away. “So, I left Ignis in the next car and went to check on Biggs and Wedge. They were asleep, and I got them awake and they got the train going. I went back to Ignis and…”

He hadn’t realized how hard this was going to be to talk about. 

Prompto turned the heat up on the water, letting it run over his body. He tried not to look at the scars on his stomach. He never thought he would miss his stretch marks.

It wasn’t that he had liked them, but they had been part of him. They had been proof of all the hard work he had put into his body.

And they were gone.

He blinked back more tears, tracing the scar around his nipple. He didn’t remember what Ignis (Ardyn?) had done to give him that one. Probably a good thing.

He glanced at Gladio. The big man was pale, his arms crossed against his chest, eyes distant.

“What happened?” Prompto asked. Clearly, something bad had happened involving Ignis.

“He killed himself,” Gladio whispered. Prompto’s mouth fell open.

“What?”

Gladio turned his head and looked at Prompto. “I walked into the car and Ignis was just standing there…you know when daemons pop out of the ground? The darkness that comes out of the ground with them?”

“Yeah…”

“Ignis was surrounded by it. It was caressing him, hugging him. He was crying,” Gladio’s voice was almost mechanical. Prompto reached out and took his hand. Gladio smiled briefly at him and squeezed his fingers, the hot water cascading over them.

“I called Noct. Noct got there, and right in front of us Ignis plunged his dagger into his own stomach. The dagger was wrapped in that same darkness…”

Prompto could hear the horror in Gladio’s voice. Prompto shook slightly, trying to imagine it.

“He died,” Gladio whispered, “right in front of us. Noctis lost it. He screamed and sobbed and gods, it hurt to see him like that. There was so much blood….”

Prompto swallowed. “How is he alive?”

“Noctis pulled a Sylleblossom petal out of his pocket and shoved it into the wound. He used the Oracle’s blessing and his hands glowed and then Ignis woke up. I swear I heard Lady Lunafreya’s voice.”

Prompto blinked. “He was really dead?”

Gladio nodded tightly. “I sent Noct to get some clean clothes for both of them, because everyone was covered in blood, and he said he ran into Ardyn. After that, the daemons attacked and we ran to the Regalia to escape.”

“Where is the Regalia?” Prompto asked, turning back to the water. He wanted the soap back. He wanted to scrub his body raw. Gladio glanced at him and handed him the soap.

“She gave her last to get us into the city,” Gladio said softly. 

Prompto sniffed. They had so many memories of that car. So many good times, and some bad times.

“We were all separated not long after that. Ignis and I were together, and Noct was by himself. Iggy and I walked for a while, trying to get closer to Zegnautus Keep. We were surrounded by MTs…”

Gladio stopped talking. Prompto looked at him as he scrubbed his hands over his chest, trying to ignore the feeling of the scars.

“Ignis did something to them,” Gladio said. “He took control of an entire squad of MTs like it was nothing. That daemon darkness was around him again, and he shoved it into the MTs and took control of them.”

The bottle of soap slipped from Prompto’s hands and hit the wet tile floor with a thud. Gladio looked at him and his eyes widened as Prompto went completely white.

Gladio’s hand shot out, steadying Prompto as his knees buckled.

“What? Prompto, what happened?” Gladio asked urgently, lowering Prompto to the floor and kneeling in front of him. The water haloed around his head.

“Ignis can control MTs?” Prompto asked. Gladio could barely hear him over the pounding water. Prompto couldn’t stop shaking. Gladio sat on the floor and drew Prompto against him. The water rushed over both of them.

Prompto cradled his wrist, shaky sobs escaping his chest.

“What is it, Prompto?” Gladio whispered, running his hands down Prompto’s back.

Prompto took a deep breath, squeezing more tears out. They were going to find out eventually, and then they would hate him.

He held his wrist up, showing the codeprint. Gladio frowned and leaned forward, looking at it.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo,” Gladio said, confusion lacing his voice.

“It’s not a tattoo,” Prompto whispered. “Have you…have you ever looked at an MT’s wrist?”

Gladio blinked. “No. Can’t say that I have.”

“They have codeprints. It identifies them, and gives them access to places,” Prompto refused to look at Gladio as he turned his wrist again. “I have one. I’m one of them.”

Gladio took Prompto’s wrist and looked at the codeprint. 

“You’re not,” Gladio said.

“I am. What if Ignis takes control of me?” Prompto asked, panic rising in his voice.

“He won’t,” Gladio said firmly. “Even if you are an MT, which I think is bullshit, Ignis couldn’t take control of you.”

“Why not? I’m one of them.”

“I wouldn’t let him,” Gladio said. Prompto’s eyes widened and he looked at Gladio’s face. Gladio had a dangerous edge to him that surprised Prompto. 

Prompto stared at Gladio, his eyes wide. He took in a shuddering breath, fighting back tears. 

“I was adopted when I was one,” Prompto said softly. “I knew I wasn’t from Lucis…”

“Doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Gladio said, “like Noct said, you’re one of us. And I think even if Ignis tried to take control of you, he couldn’t.”

“Why?” Prompto asked again.

“Because you have a soul,” Gladio whispered. 

Prompto closed his eyes and nodded, running his fingers over the codeprint. Gladio, still holding onto his wrist, ran his thumb over it.

Prompto stared at Gladio’s thumb drawing circles over the hated codeprint.

Gladio didn’t hate him. Gladio hadn’t left him. Gladio was holding him.

Oh hell, Gladio was holding him when he was naked, and Gladio was nearly naked. Prompto turned bright red.

Gladio smiled wryly and wrapped his arms around Prompto, standing up easily. He set Prompto on his feet and turned off the water. He walked over to the bench and grabbed the towels. He wrapped one around Prompto’s shoulders and tied the other around his own waist.

Prompto toweled himself dry and stood there, blinking back more tears.

Gladio hadn’t turned away from him.

“Gladio?” Prompto whispered.

“Yeah?” Gladio asked, looking at Prompto. Prompto looked much better, at least to Gladio’s eye. He was clean, and having the stench off him had to help.

“Thanks,” Prompto said, staring fixedly at Gladio’s feet.

Gladio stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Prompto. He pressed his lips against Prompto’s forehead.

“Anytime.”

FFXV

Ardyn squeezed Ignis’ shoulders and lifted one hand. He snapped his fingers. Ignis started at the sudden sound. Ardyn patted his shoulder with his free hand.

“It will take just a moment,” Ardyn said, “we must wait for my assistant.”

Ignis frowned. He didn’t remember Ardyn ever having an assistant.

He heard a strange, chirruping purr and the sound of small feet pattering. There was a chittering giggle and he froze.

A daemon.

Ardyn ran his fingers through Ignis’ hair again.

“Don’t worry. It will not harm you.”

“A goblin?” Ignis asked after a moment.

Ardyn smiled. This was going to be easier than he had thought. “Indeed, it is a goblin. Here to help us in our endeavor.”

Ignis shivered slightly at the sound of his voice. He sucked in a startled breath when he felt a clawed hand gently caress his knee.

“Do not fear it, Ignis,” Ardyn whispered. He stared at the daemon, his lip curled in a silent sneer. Such a pathetic creature.

Ignis went rigid as the goblin crawled onto his lap, curling against his chest and rubbing its face against his shoulder.

“What do you feel?” Ardyn asked, his hand tight on Ignis’ shoulder. 

Ignis frowned. What did he feel? There was a daemon in his lap. What on Eos was he supposed to feel?

Ardyn reached down and took Ignis’ hand, pulling the glove off and setting it on the table. He laced his fingers with Ignis’ and pressed Ignis’ hand against the goblin’s face.

Ignis gasped. He had thought the daemon’s skin would be slimy, but it was dry and scaly. It reminded him of a lizard’s skin, but it was cold.

“Cold…” he muttered, his fingers pressing against the daemon’s face.

“Good,” Ardyn said, keeping his hand over Ignis’. “Daemons do not produce body heat like you and I do. A side effect of the Starscourge, I’m afraid.”

It was an interesting dichotomy; Ignis could feel Ardyn’s heat beating against his back, and the daemon, cold and small in his lap.

Ardyn pressed Ignis’ hand harder against the goblin’s face. The goblin snarled, glaring up at him. Ardyn bared his teeth at the daemon, and it squeaked and buried its face against Ignis’ shoulder.

Ignis’ free hand reached up and touched the daemon’s arm. Ardyn pulled off Ignis’ other glove and tossed it aside, letting Ignis’ bare hands rove the daemon’s body. 

Good, Ignis was curious. He wanted to learn. Ardyn smiled.

“You felt it when you took command of those Magitek troopers, the cold Darkness inside them.”

“Yes,” Ignis whispered, his fingers plying the daemon’s face. His fingers brushed its long pointed ears, brushing through matted hair, over nonexistent lips.

“Find it within the daemon,” Ardyn whispered, his lips against Ignis’ ear.

Ignis concentrated, trying to recall the feeling of taking command of the MTs. Ardyn pressed his hand harder against the daemon’s face. The goblin whimpered, glowing eyes sliding closed.

Ignis gasped. He could suddenly feel it; a coldness like death emanating from the daemon on his lap. It was like a tiny, cold flame deep within the creature. It seemed to flicker and reach for him.

“Good,” Ardyn said. “Take it.”

“What?” Ignis said, his voice rising with surprise.

“Take it,” Ardyn said. “Reach into the daemon and take that spark of Darkness.”

Ignis swallowed. The daemon was frozen on his lap, clawed fingers digging into his thighs.

“How?” Ignis whispered. There was a small voice in his head screaming at him not to do this. It wasn’t right.

The small voice was overwhelmed by the pain. The pain was stronger.

Ardyn smiled. He pressed Ignis’ hands harder against the daemon’s face. Ignis’ fingers curled against the cool, scaly skin, nails digging into purple flesh.

“It’s so very simple, Ignis. All you have to do is _want_ it badly enough. Cup its face with both your hands.”

Ignis brought his other hand to the daemon’s face, ignoring its high pitched, panicked cries. He felt claws dig into his flesh, sharp pain igniting along his arms where the daemon gripped him.

He ignored it. Pain was an old friend at this point; claws digging into his arms was nothing compared to the fire behind his eyes.

Ardyn smiled as Ignis’ hands started to writhe with purple flame; the same purple flame that erupted from the ground, heralding a daemon. The same purple flame that allowed him to take command of the MTs.

The daemon started to scream. Ardyn kept his hand over Ignis’.

Ignis frowned in concentration. His hands felt cold, like the cold fire had spread from the daemon to his body. He couldn’t feel Ardyn’s hand over his anymore. The only thing he was aware of was the daemon under his hands.

Ardyn watched, eyes bright, as the daemon was wreathed in Darkness.

“Take it,” Ardyn whispered, his free hand caressing Ignis’ neck, “drink it down.”

Ignis’ lips parted slightly. The Darkness around the daemon surged towards Ignis’ face, narrowing to a point and caressing his lips.

Ignis swallowed, the icy tongue of darkness running over his mouth. He opened his mouth and took a breath.

The Darkness eased down his throat. He thought it tasted like a rich, red wine; the best he had ever tasted. It was thick and cold against his tongue, sliding gently down his throat and easing through his body.

It made him feel warm, which a distant part of his brain thought was very strange. The daemon was so cold.

His nails dug into the daemon’s flesh. It felt like it was withering under his hands.

Ardyn pressed his cheek against Ignis’, watching the daemon wither away to nothing under Ignis’ hands.

Watching as Ignis drank the Darkness from the goblin.

The daemon struggled against Ignis’ grip, and Ignis snarled at it, clenching its skull in his bare hands. The goblin whimpered, its struggles growing feebler by the second, its scream tapering off to a pained whimper.

The daemon gave one final cry, and collapsed. Ignis released its skull and it tumbled off his lap.

Ardyn looked down at the mummified human body and smiled. He flicked his fingers at the body, and it disappeared in a rush of flame.

Ignis sat in the chair, panting. 

Ardyn leaned over him. “How do you feel?” 

Ignis tilted his head, considering. He was a little cold, especially his hands, and his throat felt strange, but…

There was no pain. His right eye flew open in surprise, although he still couldn’t see anything. 

There was no pain.

His hand came up to his face, running his fingers over his scars.

He didn’t hurt.

“How?” he whispered.

Ardyn couldn’t seem to stop smiling. This was beyond perfect.

“A gift, Ignis,” Ardyn said. 

Ignis sat there under Ardyn’s hands, trembling. For the first time since Altissia, he didn’t hurt, not the way he had been hurting. His body ached from lack of sleep, his muscles burned from lack of use, but his eyes were mercifully pain free. 

He wanted to weep.

Ardyn walked around him and knelt in front of Ignis. His hand brushed against Ignis’ left temple, fingers edging along the scar.

“I’d like to check something, if I may?” 

Ignis nodded. He knew he shouldn’t let Ardyn touch him, but the chancellor had helped him. Ardyn had helped him more than anyone else.

Ardyn gently lifted the lid of Ignis’ left eye and nearly crowed with delight.

Darkness moved across the white of Ignis’ left eye, moving across his eye like inky blood. He lowered Ignis’ eyelid and patted his cheek.

Everything was going perfectly.

“What do you want now, Ignis?” Ardyn asked.

“Honestly, I’d like to sleep without you fucking with my dreams,” Ignis said dryly.

Ardyn threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh, Ignis. I have been having so much fun fucking with you though.”

“I gathered as much.”

Ardyn tilted his head, lips still curled in a smile. Ignis was so much more fun when he wasn’t in pain. Who would’ve thought?

“As I am such a nice man, I will give the four of you a six hour respite,” Ardyn said. “The Crystal isn’t going anywhere, and honestly…” he leaned forward, pressing Ignis back against his chair.

“I want all of you especially coherent for the finale.”

Ignis tilted his head back. He should rage against Ardyn. He should try to fight him.

But he didn’t. He wouldn’t it. Not right now. Not while his eyes were miraculously pain free. Not while he had the chance to sleep.

Ardyn fisted his hand in Ignis’ hair and tilted his head back.

“Enjoy your rest, Ignis. Do make sure Prompto is doing well. I wouldn’t want him to miss it.”

Ignis sneered at him. Ardyn laughed.

“See you all soon, Ignis.” 

Ignis listened as Ardyn’s footsteps faded away. He sat there, fingers brushing his own face, finally exploring the scars on his face without pain.

He knew he would regret what he had just done, but in that moment, sitting in the seat of the Empire, knowing Prompto was in pain, knowing what they were heading into, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He would revel in the brief respite, and go back to hating Ardyn later.


	21. Now-A Moment of Forgetting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the author decides you all deserve an award for following me down into this dark hell, so have some sexy fun times with a side of angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story has gotten really fucking dark (understatement), and I decided that Noctis needed to forget for a moment that everything sucked. Also, this story was originally supposed to be an excuse to get Ignoct to fuck, and then plot happened, so I decided that you all deserve another sex scene for continuing to follow me.  
> I thank you all from the bottom of my dark heart and withered soul.  
> I couldn't even do a sex scene without adding some serious angst. Consider this a brief break from Ardyn's crazy. Don't worry, he'll be back (let's be honest, he was sitting in a control room somewhere at the top of the keep, watching this entire thing unfold like the dirty little creeper he is). Slightly shorter chapter.   
> Back to plot next chapter!  
> As always, comments and kudos are love. I adore reading your comments.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-A Moment of Forgetting

Noctis paused outside the door to the safe room and leaned against the wall, eyes closed. His heart beat loudly in his head. He ran his hand over his face.

Gods, he didn’t know what to do.

How could the four of them continue on together when Prompto was convinced that Ignis had spent days torturing him? 

He didn’t know how to act around Prompto. He loved Ignis. He had watched Ignis die and had felt that part of his heart die with him. Getting Ignis back had been an absolute miracle, one he planned on thanking Luna and whatever gods were listening for every single day for the rest of his life.

But Prompto was his best friend. How could he look at Prompto and hold Ignis at the same time? Could Prompto ever be around Ignis again without freaking out? He hoped Gladio could offer the gunman some comfort.

He felt like the closer they got to the Crystal, the faster he was losing Ignis to forces he didn’t understand. It terrified him. He was terrified of losing Ignis.

He pushed himself away from the door, fingers resting on the hilt of his father’s sword. He wished he could talk to his dad. He had no idea if his dad would’ve approved of his relationship with Ignis, but he didn’t think he would’ve minded. Regis had always wanted his son to be happy, hadn’t he?

He walked slowly down the dark hallway. He hated this place. He kept his hand tight around the hilt of the sword, ready to yank it from the scabbard in a moment’s notice if he came across any MTs or daemons.

The hallways were miraculously, terrifyingly, empty. No sign of the bad guys, no sign of Ignis.

Noctis swallowed hard. He could still see Ignis lying in a growing pool of blood, chest still, heart frozen. He shook his head, shoving the image away.

Ignis was still alive.

He hoped. Where was Ignis anyway?

He headed back towards the control room, eyes constantly scanning for any sign of movement.

A sudden, pained scream came from somewhere up ahead. Noctis flung himself against the wall, eyes darting around wildly. It hadn’t sounded like Ignis. It was too high pitched. It sounded almost like a daemon, but what could make a daemon scream like that?

He took a deep breath and eased around the corner, his eyes falling on a crumpled cloth. He reached forward and picked it up, his face going white.

It was Ignis’ jacket. He looked around the hallway wildly and let out a startled cry. Ignis’ cane was resting against the wall. It looked like it had fallen and rolled against the floor.

Noctis’ hands trembled as he picked it up. It was cold to the touch. He held it to his chest, a soft moan escaping his mouth.

“Ignis,” he whispered, raising his head. “IGNIS!” he bellowed. He started to run, his boots slamming into the metal floor. He held the cane close to him. He had to find Ignis. 

His boots slammed into the floor, echoing in the claustrophobic hallway. He held Ignis’ cane tightly in his hands, knuckles white with terror.

“Ignis!” He ran into the control room, sliding to a stop in front of the wall of televisions. His eyes darted from screen to screen, hoping for any sign of Ignis.

“Ignis,” he whispered. The screens were distressingly empty, showing only deserted hallways and static. He felt his eyes burn. 

What if Ignis was gone? What if he had decided Noctis didn’t need him anymore, and had simply…left?

He didn’t think he would be able to handle it. Ignis had been with him practically as long as he could remember, and the thought of not having Ignis around caused his chest to tighten.

He turned and glanced into the dark conference room. The hologram of Zegnautus Keep hovered above the table, the only light in the room. His heart caught in his throat. He could see the outline of someone slumped in the chair. He would recognize that silhouette anywhere.

Ignis was in a chair, his chin resting on his chest. His hands rested on his knees, and he wasn’t moving.

“Ignis!” Noct yelled, running into the conference room. He slid to a stop in front of Ignis, grabbing the other man’s shoulder.

Ignis’ head shot up, a startled yelp slipping through his lips. His arm shot out, knocking Noctis’ arm aside.

“Easy, Iggy! It’s me, it’s Noctis,” Noct said, holding his hands out. “Were…were you asleep?”

Ignis took a deep breath. “Noctis? I…yes, I must’ve fallen asleep.”

Ignis was confused. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He remembered Ardyn, and the daemon, and-

Oh. He had done something to that daemon. He had taken something from it.

His fingers brushed over his eyes. He still didn’t hurt.

Noctis stared at him. Ignis’ chest rose and fell rapidly, fingers running over his eye. Noctis noticed that he wasn’t wearing his gloves. They were wadded on the table behind him. 

“Sorry,” Noct muttered, “didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I don’t believe this is the safest place to fall asleep anyway,” Ignis said, dropping his hand. He didn’t hurt.

“How’s Prompto?” Ignis asked softly.

Noctis ran his fingers through his hair. “Not good. He’s convinced it was you…”

Ignis tensed, his lips drawing into a frown. His hands clenched on his thighs. Noctis knelt next to him, placing his hand over Ignis’.

“I think it was,” Ignis whispered. Noctis stared at him, his eyes wide.

“What?”

Ignis pulled away from him and stood up. “Ard- The Chancellor showed me, or I dreamed of it. I remember it…Prompto hanging there…the knife sliding through his flesh…”

Ignis clenched his fists. Noctis stood up and walked over to Ignis, gently touching his back. Ignis took a step away from him, but Noctis followed him doggedly.

“It wasn’t you,” Noctis said firmly. The back of Ignis’ thighs hit the table, Noctis trapping him against it. “You were with us. Ardyn is a dick, and we know he likes to screw with our minds. That’s all he’s doing, screwing with us. He wants to drive us apart, Ignis.”

Ignis wondered if Ardyn was screwing with him. Ardyn had helped him, had taught him how to chase the pain away in a much more effective manner than cutting himself.

Noctis couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ignis. Had it been only a day since Ignis had died? Noctis took a shuddering breath, blinking back tears and chasing away the image of Ignis’ lifeless body.

“I thought I lost you,” Noctis whispered, wrapping his arms around Ignis’ waist. “I thought you left me…” He rested his head against Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis stood perfectly still in his arms.

“Ignis,” Noct murmured, pressing a kiss against Ignis’ neck. Ignis finally wrapped his arms around Noctis, dropping his head and inhaling Noct’s scent.

It wasn’t that he smelled particularly good at the moment; he’d been running around the keep for hours and smelled of sweat, metal, ozone, and other things. But under that he smelled of something that was uniquely Noctis.

Ignis’ arms tightened around the smaller man, and Noct melted into his embrace. He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. He was exhausted, and just wanted to stay in Ignis’ arms forever.

He wanted to forget. 

He kissed Ignis’ neck again, his tongue flicking out and tasting Ignis’ skin. Ignis sucked in a startled breath.

“Noct…” he said. 

Noctis grazed his teeth along Ignis’ throat. Ignis swallowed, his hand clenching on Noct’s hip.

“Ignis,” Noct said against Ignis’ skin. Ignis bit back a soft moan. This really wasn’t the time or place for this. They were in the middle of the Empire.

“Please, Ignis,” Noctis said, one hand pressing against Ignis’ chest. “I just…” He wasn’t sure how to explain it. His desire for Ignis was like a constant ache. He closed his eyes, remembering Ignis’ hands on him, his green eyes boring into his, body doing amazing things to his. 

Had it really only been a little more than a week since he had gone back in time and made love to Ignis? For Ignis, it had to be so much longer.

He wanted Ignis. He wanted to feel Ignis’ hands and lips on his body in more than a desperate, quick kiss or a comforting touch. He wanted Ignis deep inside him. 

His cheeks flushed, and Ignis tilted his head slightly. He wondered if Ignis could feel him blush.

He stood on his toes and kissed the corner of Ignis’ mouth. Ignis’ hands rested on Noct’s hips.

“Noct,” he whispered, “I’m not sure we should do this right now.”

Noctis whined against his skin. “I want to forget for a while, Iggy, I just…I want to forget.”

He wanted to forget that Prompto had been tortured for days, and was convinced that Ignis had done it. He wanted to forget that Ignis seemed to be slipping away from him, going down a path Noctis couldn’t see, let alone find.

He wanted to forget that they were in enemy territory. He wanted to forget that his father and Luna were dead, that Ignis _had_ died, and it was only the Oracle’s blessing that had saved him.

Ignis drew Noctis tighter against him, hugging Noct to him. He understood wanting to forget. He wanted to forget that he was blind, that he was willingly following Ardyn down a path that he knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop.

There was a part of him that didn’t want to stop. Whatever Ardyn had taught him to do, it made him pain free. 

He held his breath for a moment. He was pain free. He vaguely remembered the night he and Noctis had had sex in the hotel in Lestallum. Sometimes, it felt like it was fading away, melting away like ice on a warm day. Sometimes, he could remember it vividly; the soft sounds Noctis had made as he came, the feel of his teeth in his shoulder, feeling Noct’s tight heat around him.

His hand cupped the back of Noct’s head, fingers running through Noctis’ dirty hair. He tilted Noct’s head back and leaned down. He felt Noct’s breath across his lips, and he dove in. Noctis gasped against Ignis’ mouth.

Ignis backed Noct up until his legs hit the table. Ignis deepened the kiss, forcing Noctis’ mouth open, his tongue delving into Noct’s mouth.

Noctis thought that Ignis tasted a little strange, almost like some kind of wine, but he quickly forgot about it when Ignis fisted his hand in Noct’s hair, yanking his head back and peppering kisses against his jaw, nipping his way along Noct’s neck.

Noctis moaned, his fingers curling against Ignis’ chest. Ignis’ free hand ran down Noct’s chest, quickly undoing the jacket.

“Off,” Ignis growled against his jaw. Noct’s hands trembled as he shoved his jacket down his shoulders and tossed it over the table. 

There was an edge of desperation, of violence, to Ignis that he had never seen before. The first time they had had sex, Ignis had been so gentle, so loving. The first time, Ignis hadn’t been in constant pain for a month. 

Noctis unbuttoned Ignis’ shirt and pushed it open. Ignis stood back, panting. Noctis stared at Ignis’ chest, his heart tightening at the sight of that strange scar shaped like a Sylleblossom flower, the scars that crossed Ignis’ stomach, ribs, and back from Ignis’ own hand. He reached out and touched the faded bite mark scar on his right shoulder.

Noctis leaned forward and pressed his lips against the scar, sinking his teeth gently into Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis’ hand drifted up, fingers sinking against Noct’s skull. Noct groaned as Ignis’ nails scraped along his scalp. 

He pressed kisses down Ignis’ chest. He was saddened again at how much weight Ignis had lost since Altissia. He could feel Ignis’ heart thudding under his lips as he licked Ignis’ nipple, rolling it into his mouth.

Ignis moaned, his head falling back, hand tightening in Noct’s hair. Noct’s hand dropped to the front of Ignis’ pants, gently massaging his hardening length through his pants.

“Noct,” Ignis hissed, dragging his face back up for a kiss. Noctis kissed him hard, his hand cupping Ignis. Ignis bucked into his hand, nipping at Noct’s lips.

Ignis hadn’t touched himself since Altissia. He had hurt far too much to think of wrapping his hand around himself. After remembering what had happened when Noct went back in time, he had wanted to. Gods, he had wanted to. The pain had overwhelmed any desire he had felt, even when Noctis had kissed him, or the time Noctis had sat across his thighs and inexpertly massaged him.

The desire had been there, but the pain had won out. 

Noct’s fingers deftly unbuttoned Ignis’ slacks. He plunged his hand down the front, caressing Ignis through his briefs. Ignis groaned into his mouth, kissing Noctis harder. Their tongues slid against each other, tasting, teasing.

Noctis pulled back slightly, looking at Ignis. Ignis stood there, one hand wrapped in Noctis’ hair and the other on his hip. His lips were swollen, the scar across his lower lip standing out starkly against his skin. His cheeks were flushed, lips parted as he struggled to catch his breath as Noct continued to stroke him slowly.

Noct stood up on his toes and pressed his lips gently against the scar on Ignis’ lower lip. He sucked his lip into his mouth and nibbled on it gently. He pressed his hand against Ignis’ chest, making the taller man step back until he hit the chair. Noctis pushed Ignis into the chair and stood before him, his hand resting on Ignis’ head.

Ignis went still, his heart in his throat. He took a shuddering breath. Ardyn had stood above him, hand in his hair. No, he wanted to forget. He wouldn’t think of Ardyn now. He wouldn’t think of what Ardyn had done for him.

Noctis felt Ignis tense under his hand and frowned, sliding his hand to cup Ignis’ chin. He tilted Ignis’ head towards him. He gently lifted Ignis’ dark glasses from his face and set them on the table by Ignis’ gloves. His thumbs traced Ignis’ scars.

He leaned over and pressed his lips hard against Ignis’. Ignis seemed to come back to himself as soon as Noctis’ lips touched his. Noct’s hand traced down the front of Ignis’ chest, tweaking each nipple and sliding lower, caressing the edges of self-inflicted scars. His hand paused above Ignis’ cock, pressing against it with gentle pressure.

“Noct…” Ignis groaned, his hips rising to meet Noct’s hand. Noctis quickly unbuckled his sword belt and set it on the table. It would only get in the way.

Noctis dropped to his knees in front of Ignis, his hand resting on Ignis’ hip. He tugged the other man’s pants. Ignis got the hint and lifted his hips, letting Noctis pull them down over his ass. Noctis had pulled his briefs down at the same time.

Ignis sucked in a startled breath when he felt Noct’s breath across the tip of his cock. He shuddered, hands clenching the arms of the chair. He let out a soft cry when Noct’s tongue flicked across his weeping head. 

Gods, he wished he could see. 

He wished he could see Noctis on his knees before him, taking his cock in his mouth, rolling his eyes to watch Ignis through a fringe of bangs. He could feel Noctis’ hands on his thighs, kneading the tense, scarred muscle.

He cried out when Noctis wrapped one hand around his base and guided him down his throat. He could feel the Ring of the Lucii against his flesh, almost hotter than Noct’s skin. The feel of Noct’s tongue curling around his head, running along the underside of his cock, and the wet warmth of his mouth were almost too much. 

Ignis struggled not to thrust wantonly into Noct’s mouth. He didn’t want to hurt Noctis. He never wanted to hurt Noctis. 

Noct reached up with one hand and grabbed Ignis’, placing the taller man’s hand on his head.

Ignis ran his fingers over Noct’s face as Noctis bobbed on his cock. He shuddered when his fingers reached Noct’s lips, and the feel of them wrapped around his cock. He left his fingers there, touching his own cock as it disappeared into his king’s mouth.

“Noctis,” Ignis panted, his hips rising slightly.

Noctis smiled around Ignis. He had never done this before, but seeing Ignis sitting there, looking so sad, had snapped something inside Noctis. He wanted to taste Ignis, chase that sad, distant look from his face.

He pushed his tongue into Ignis’ slit, humming when Ignis nearly rose from the chair. He wasn’t going to be able to do this long; his knees were starting to kill him. 

He sucked hard on Ignis, his cheeks hollowing out. Ignis gasped, his fingers on Noct’s lips.

“Noct…Noct…” Ignis whispered, eyes closed and head back. It was hard for Noctis to watch him, but he didn’t want to miss anything. He wanted to burn the blissful expression on Ignis’ face into his memory forever. He never wanted to forget the music of Ignis crying his name to the ceiling, fingers on his lips, feeling him suck Ignis’ cock. 

Ignis twitched in his mouth. He watched as Ignis covered his mouth with his free hand. Noctis pulled back, Ignis slipping from his mouth with a soft pop. He kept his hand wrapped around the base of Ignis’ cock.

“I want to hear you,” Noctis said softly. Ignis lowered his hand slowly. Noctis could see it trembling. Ignis licked his lips, nodding slightly. Noctis smiled and lowered his mouth to Ignis’ cock again, tongue flicking out and tasting the salty precome. 

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered, his fingers back on Noct’s lips. Noctis took Ignis in his mouth again, reveling in the loud moan that escaped Ignis’ throat. Noctis dropped one hand and massaged himself through his pants. He shoved his hand down his pants and wrapped his hand around himself. He stroked himself in time with his sucking on Ignis.

He groaned around Ignis, and Ignis shuddered, his cock hitting the back of Noct’s throat. He felt Noctis swallow around him, and he shattered.

“Noct!” he yelled, his hips rising as he came down Noct’s throat. Noctis sucked hard on Ignis’ head, cheeks hollowing out and tongue laving Ignis’ slit. He wasn’t sure he liked the taste, but it was Ignis, he would deal.

Ignis threw his head back, cursing his blindness again. His fingers rested against Noct’s lips, and he could feel his own seed leak from the king’s mouth, coating his fingers with saliva and come.

Noctis pulled back, his mouth falling open. He kissed Ignis’ fingers, his tongue curling around each one.

He stood up, pulling his hand out of his pants and leaned forward, kissing Ignis again. Ignis pulled him down onto his lap, kissing him desperately. Ignis’ tongue probed the depths of Noct’s mouth, chasing his own taste down the other man’s throat.

“Ignis,” Noctis whispered, kissing the other man tenderly, “was that okay?”

Ignis’ head fell back. Noctis pressed a kiss against his Adam’s apple, feeling it bob as Ignis swallowed.

“It was wonderful, Noctis,” Ignis said, his hands coming to rest on the swells of Noct’s narrow hips.

Noctis rolled his hips on Ignis’ lap, and the other man could hardly miss Noctis’ erection pressing into his stomach. Ignis pressed his fingers harder into Noct’s hips.

Ignis lifted his hand to Noct’s face, fingers tracing the planes and curves he had once known so well. Noctis tilted his face into Ignis’ hand, pressing a kiss into Ignis’ palm. Ignis’ lips curled into a soft smile, and Noct’s heart nearly stopped with something akin to joy.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Ignis smile like that. He smiled like he wasn’t hurting, like they weren’t sitting in the middle of Zegnautus Keep surrounded by gods knew what. He smiled like the only thing in the world that mattered was Noctis.

Ignis’ hand dropped to Noct’s shoulder, fingering the thin cotton of his t-shirt and wandering lower.

“Hang on a sec,” Noct murmured, backing off of Ignis’ lap and standing up. He quickly undid his boots and kicked them aside, shoving his pants and boxers down his legs and tossing them aside. He quickly walked to the door and pushed the button to close it. It would at least give them a few minutes warning if someone (or something) tried to get in.

His cock jutted away from his body, a thin line of precome dripping from his slit. With a sigh, he lowered himself back onto Ignis’ lap. Ignis gasped when he felt Noct’s naked ass press against his thighs. His hands grabbed Noctis and pulled him tighter against him, grinding Noct’s cock against his own.

Noctis ran his hands over Ignis’ chest, fingers playing with his nipples. Ignis still had his shirt on, unbuttoned and hanging loose at his sides. Noctis lowered his face to Ignis’ and kissed him, tongue sliding over the scar on his lip.

Ignis opened his mouth to Noctis, hands rocking Noct’s hips forward. Noctis moaned into his mouth, his hand dropping to wrap around them both. Ignis twitched in his hand, hardening again.

“Already?” Noctis whispered against his mouth.

Ignis frowned. Noctis laughed softly, kissing Ignis gently. 

“Not a bad thing,” Noctis said breathlessly, stroking their cocks together, “believe me.”

The only sound for a few minutes was their panting breaths and the slick sound of Noct’s hand around their cocks.

Ignis concentrated on the feel of Noct’s lips on his, moist breath mixing with his, and the feel of Noctis’ calloused palm around their slick cocks. Without sight, it was a strange, almost surreal experience. 

How could he have doubted Noctis’ love for him?

“I love you,” Ignis panted.

Noctis smiled, “I love you, too, Ignis. Always.”

They kissed lazily, Noct’s hand slowing around them as he concentrated on the kiss.

“Gods, I want you, Ignis,” he panted. “But we don’t have anything…”

Ignis pulled back, a frown etched across his face. He tilted his head to the side, thinking. Noctis frowned at him, knowing Ignis couldn’t see it. He opened his mouth to ask if Ignis was okay, but Ignis beat him to it.

“Do you have a potion?”

Noctis blinked. “What?”

“A potion,” Ignis said, a trace of irritation in his voice, “do you happen to have one?”

“Uh…are you hurt?”

Ignis sighed. “Noctis?”

“Oh, uh…hang on.” Noctis stood up and walked over to his discarded imperial jacket. He dug through the pockets, pulling out a potion and turning back to Ignis. He froze, his mouth hanging open in surprise, the potion nearly slipping through his fingers.

Ignis was leaning back in the chair, one hand wrapped his cock, tugging and twisting it, thumb swiping across the head.

Noctis swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. Gods, Ignis was beautiful. It was so nice to see Ignis acting like he wasn’t in pain. 

“I…ah…gods, Ignis,” Noctis panted, his empty hand dropping to his own dripping cock.

“Do you have the potion?” Ignis asked.

“Yes,” Noctis squeaked, squeezing himself hard.

“Good,” Ignis purred. Noct’s heartrate shot up. He didn’t think he had ever heard Ignis sound like that. It was incredibly sexy. 

Ignis leaned over and pulled his boots off, kicking his pants all the way off. Noctis whimpered, pumping himself hard, unable to tear his eyes from Ignis’ form. His eyes roved over Ignis, standing there wearing nothing but his unbuttoned blue striped shirt. It framed his lean chest perfectly.

Ignis held his hand out. “The potion, if you please.”

“Sure,” Noctis said, walking forward and pressing it into Ignis hand. Ignis wrapped his fingers around the potion and smiled. He reached out with his other hand, and Noctis stepped up to him, completely bewildered and incredibly turned on.

Ignis’ fingers curled around his wrist, and Noctis let out a startled yelp when Ignis yanked him forward. Noctis tripped, leaning heavily against Ignis’ chest. Ignis smiled in his general direction. Ignis took a step back, drawing Noctis with him.

The back of Ignis’ legs hit the table, and he stepped to the side, almost shoving Noctis against the table. Noct’s hands landed on the table top, a gasp tearing from his throat.

He felt Ignis’ hand drift over his back, sliding down and cupping his ass. Ignis pressed his body against Noct’s. He didn’t need to see for this. He could concentrate on the feel of Noct’s willing body against his. He tugged Noct’s shirt up, pressing his bare chest against Noct’s back.

Noctis felt Ignis’ cock slide against his ass and he whimpered, arching his back to get closer to Ignis.

Ignis pressed his face against the back of Noct’s head, inhaling his scent. He could feel sweat against his skin, and his tongue flicked out, tasting Noct’s skin. 

Noctis turned his head, watching as Ignis popped the top of the potion off and dipped his finger in it. Noct’s eyes widened as Ignis rubbed his potion coated finger against Noct’s hole.

Oh. That’s what he wanted the potion for.

Noct trembled as Ignis pushed one finger in.

“Gods, Ignis, yes!” Noct cried, rocking back onto Ignis’ finger. He grasped the edge of the table, sweat beading across his forehead as Ignis pushed another finger into him. Ignis pressed his lips against Noct’s neck, drawing his teeth over his pulse point.

Noctis couldn’t believe they were doing this in the middle of Zegnautus Keep, with everything falling to shit around them, but at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Ignis spread his hole, breathing in the scent of Noct’s skin. Noctis whimpered, pressing himself onto Ignis’ fingers.

“Iggy, please,” Noctis whispered. Ignis pulled his fingers out and poured more potion into his palm. Noctis watched through heavily lidded eyes as Ignis wrapped his hand around himself and covered the head of his cock with potion.

Noctis would never be able to look at potions the same way again. Who knew they were so viscous, thick and warm enough to be a perfect lubricant?

Ignis ran one hand down Noct’s back. He wished to all the gods he could see, but feeling Noctis tremble under his touch was amazing. Noctis’ head fell forward, and he found himself staring at his hands on the table. His cock dripped, staining the expensive wood.

“Please, Ignis,” he panted. He groaned when he felt the thick head of Ignis’ cock press against his puckered hole. Ignis pushed in, Noct’s body tightening around him.

Ignis’ head fell against Noct’s shoulder as he slowly pushed himself in to the hilt. Gods, it felt amazing. Noctis’ tight ring of muscles convulsed around him. They stood there for a moment, trying to get used to the feeling of being as close as they could get.

Ignis’ arms came around Noct’s chest, one hand dipping to wrap around his cock, his other spreading open palmed over his heart. He concentrated on the feel of Noct’s heartbeat thundering under his hand, of Noct’s tight heat around his cock, of the soft, pleased sounds escaping Noct’s throat.

“Move, please,” Noctis whispered. Ignis drew slowly out of him, then pushed back in. Noct moaned, trying to move as close to Ignis as he could.

Ignis’ hand tightened around Noctis’ cock and he began to twist his hand loosely over it, sliding his thumb over his dripping slit. Ignis pressed his lips against Noct’s neck, dropping urgent kisses against his skin.

He started thrusting harder. With every thrust, Noct’s body welcomed his. His heat wrapped around Ignis’ cock, almost feeling like it was spreading throughout his body, chasing away the chill from the daemon and Ardyn. 

Noctis wrapped one hand over Ignis’, guiding his grip the way Noctis liked it. He supported their weight against the table with his other hand. He felt Ignis’ lips clamp onto his neck, sucking and biting at his pulse point as Ignis began to thrust harder.

Noct’s head fell back, Ignis’ name a prayer on his lips. The hand on his chest tweaked his nipples, and Noctis’ cock twitched in their hands. He felt Ignis press his teeth against his neck, and figured he’d have one hell of a hickey later.

He didn’t care. Ignis’ arms were around him, their sweaty bodies pressed close together, and Ignis’ hard cock was buried in his ass. He could feel Ignis’ balls slap against his skin as his thrusts grew ever harder.

That edge of violence was back in Ignis. Ignis dug his nails into Noct’s chest, his other hand dropping to squeeze Noctis’ balls. Noctis could swear he heard Ignis growl softly against his skin.

It was enough. Noctis cried out as he came, watching strands of his come streak across the table. Ignis bit his neck.

“Gods, Ignis, yes, yes!” Noctis yelled, pumping himself as Ignis rolled his balls in the palm of his hand. His other arm trembled, straining to support them as Ignis drove himself into Noctis’ body.

His arm gave out and he collapsed across the table, Ignis still glued to his back. He groaned, pushing himself up slightly, arching his back into Ignis.

Ignis kept his lips on Noct’s neck. He was close again, Noct’s body convulsing around his cock. “Close, Noctis,” he whispered against his neck.

“Yes, Ignis!” Noct cried as he felt Ignis’ cock twitch and spasm inside him. Ignis moaned, driving his hips into Noct’s, sending his load deep inside his king.

Ignis’ arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly. Everything hit Ignis at once; the feel of the daemon on his lap, Ardyn’s dulcet voice in his ear, teaching him, leading him, and Ignis willingly following him down that path, how good it had felt to feel that Darkness slide down his throat, feel that daemon wither to nothing in his hands, how Ardyn’s lips felt against his, the blade sliding into his stomach, sweet death taking him away.

Gods above, what had he done?

Noctis felt something wet hit his shoulder and turned his head to look as best he could at Ignis. He gasped. Ignis was crying, blood tinged tears rolling from his right eye. He thought that it might have been a good thing that Ignis wasn’t crying straight blood anymore. 

It took him a moment to realize Ignis was whispering something against his neck.

“I’m sorry, Noctis, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry,” Ignis kept repeating, his arms tight around Noct and his cock softening in his ass.

Noctis had no idea what he was apologizing for. He wondered if this was how Ignis had felt when he had gone back in time and Noctis had thrown himself at Ignis, apologizing for something he didn’t understand. It was heartbreaking.

Ignis’ grip slackened, and he slid down to the ground, slipping from Noct’s body. He sat in a heap on the cold floor, tears rolling from his right eye. Nothing fell from his left.

Noctis turned and dropped next to Ignis. His hand touched the other man’s shoulder, drawing him against him. Ignis’ arms went around him, clinging tightly to Noctis. He was still whispering his apology. 

“Ignis,” Noctis whispered, kissing the other man’s forehead. “I’m here, Ignis, I’m here.”

Ignis shuddered in his arms. Noctis felt hot in his arms, the opposite of how the daemon had felt. It was like being held by a supernova. Noctis was his light.

He took a deep breath, concentrating on the feel of Noct’s arms around him, the scent of his sweat slicked skin, the smell of sex in the room.

As long as Noctis was around, he didn’t need Ardyn. As long as Noctis was there to chase away the Darkness in his mind, he would be okay.

As long as Noctis was around.

FFXV

Noctis wasn’t sure how long they sat on the cold floor, wrapped around each other, silent tears falling from Ignis’ eye. He just kept whispering Ignis’ name, talking nonsense to him. He didn’t know what had caused Ignis to crack, but it didn’t matter to him. Ignis was hurting and there was nothing he could do.

At some point, he realized Ignis was dozing in his arms. He kissed Ignis’ head again. They could not sleep on this floor. 

“Ignis,” he said, shaking his lover gently. Ignis stirred and pushed away from him.

“Noct,” he whispered, his hand reaching out. Noctis laced their fingers together. He was a mess, and could feel Ignis’ seed leaking from his ass, sweat gelling on their skin. 

“C’mon,” Noctis muttered, “let’s get dressed and head back.”

Ignis tensed slightly. “What about Prompto?” he whispered.

Noctis sighed, reaching for his pants and pulling out his phone. No service, but it still kept time. “It’s been almost an hour. Gladio’s probably got him cleaned up. I know it won’t be easy for him, but…I need you with us.”

Ignis nodded uneasily. He would follow Noctis anywhere.

Even when Noctis had to die, Ignis would follow him. He couldn’t imagine living without Noctis. Not now, not ever. 

Noctis pulled him to his feet. Noct glanced around, eyes falling on the imperial jacket. Well, he wasn’t going to wear that thing again. He squeezed Ignis’ hand and picked up the jacket, using a corner of it to wipe Ignis’ cock and thighs clean. He quickly cleaned himself as best he could and picked up Ignis’ slacks and briefs.

He touched Ignis’ shoulder. “Hold on to my shoulder, ‘kay?”

Ignis gripped his shoulder as Noctis knelt in front of him, directing Ignis to step into his underwear and dragging them up his thighs. His fingers grazed the scars on Ignis’ thighs. He grabbed Ignis’ pants and helped him into them. He stood up and buttoned Ignis’ shirt, fingers resting on his chest. Ignis stood placidly under his hands, letting Noctis dress him. 

Noctis kissed him again. He would never get enough of Ignis. He guided Ignis back to the chair and pressed his boots into Ignis’ hands. Ignis nodded and leaned over, pulling his own boots on.

Noctis pulled his boxers and pants on, shoving his feet in his boots and haphazardly lacing them up. He grabbed his sword belt and buckled it back on.

He walked over to where he had left Ignis’ cane and picked it up. He had meant to ask how Ignis had gotten to this room without the cane, but it had slipped his mind. 

He pulled Ignis to his feet and decided it didn’t matter. He would be forever thankful to have had this moment with Ignis. He pushed Ignis’ cane into his hand, Ignis curling his fingers around it.

“Ready?” Noctis asked.

Ignis slipped his arm through Noctis’, fingers resting on the smaller man’s elbow. Noctis beamed up at him, even knowing that Ignis couldn’t see it. The fact that Ignis would let him guide him was wonderful to Noctis. 

Noctis led him to the door, waiting as it slid open. 

They stepped back into the control room, and Ignis gave himself to Noct’s direction.

Everything would be okay.

As long as Noctis was around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new twitter: @golden_asp
> 
> Also, HOLY FUCK I WROTE OVER 100,000 WORDS. *dies*
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	22. Now-The Long Night Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noct's power is restored, and Ignis loses everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. Finally, the end of chapter 13 (thank god). It's going to be quite the journey during the timeskip.  
> Still trying to think of a new summary for this novel.  
> I finished this chapter yesterday but my internet went down and I was sad. So, here it is. Definitely the longest chapter yet, but I really wanted to get past all the chapter 13 shit, and there was no good spot to break it up. The dialogue from Ardyn at the end is straight from the game.  
> Comments and Kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-The Long Night Falls

Prompto sat cross legged on the bed closest to the kitchenette in the corner, watching Gladio dig through the small cupboards. His thumb traced the codeprint on his wrist. He was wearing a pair of coveralls Gladio had found in one of the footlockers, and a pair of boots sat at the end of the bed.

He missed his clothes, but anything was better than being naked. Gladio stood up, a box of noodles in his hand.

“Well, found a shit ton of noodles and red sauce. Looks like spaghetti is on the menu.”

“Honestly, anything sounds good right now,” Prompto said, glancing up at him. 

Gladio nodded, yanking out a big pot and filling it with water. “You doin’ okay?”

Prompto nodded slowly. “Being clean makes a huge difference. I…” he shrugged. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to say.

Gladio turned on the stovetop. It would take some time for the water to boil, so he sat next to Prompto on the bed.

Prompto refused to look at him. Gladio pulled Prompto against him, resting his chin on the top of Prompto’s head.

“I’m afraid that Noctis will hate me after he learns what I am,” Prompto said, his eyes closed. He felt so safe with Gladio holding him.

“Noct won’t hate you,” Gladio said gruffly. “None of us hate you.”

Prompto just sat there. 

“I’m scared, Gladio,” Prompto said quietly.

“Of what?” Gladio asked, his eyes closed.

Prompto was silent for beat, “Ignis.”

Gladio’s arms tightened around him. Gladio couldn’t imagine what Prompto had gone through. He tried to picture himself getting tortured by Ignis, only to find out later that apparently it wasn’t Ignis. He couldn’t.

“I know…in my head that it wasn’t Ignis, but when I see him, I’m afraid I’m going to freak out again.”

“Seriously, Prompto, no one would blame you if you did. We just have to get through this damn keep, find the Crystal, and haul ass back to Lucis. After that, we’ll figure it out. Do you think you can last that long?”

Prompto thought about it. Gladio was right; they were so close to the end. After they got the Crystal, he could take all the time he needed to recover.

“Would…are you going to be around after?” Prompto asked quietly.

Gladio opened his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stick with you.”

“Okay,” Prompto whispered. Prompto wondered if the fact that Gladio was oath bound to Noctis would change that, but he didn’t want to ask. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

Gladio squeezed him and stood up to check the water. It was just starting to boil. He opened the box of noodles and dumped them in the pot. He stirred them briefly, glancing back at Prompto, still sitting on the bed.

“I did manage to grab something of yours off the train before we ditched it,” Gladio said quietly. He should’ve done this right after they had gotten out of the shower, but Prompto had seemed so fragile that he hadn’t done it.

Prompto looked up at him, a hint of that old brightness back in his eyes. “You did?”

Gladio grinned at him and walked over to the bed he had thrown his imperial jacket on after their shower. He reached into one of the pockets and pulled it out, turning around and holding Prompto’s camera out to him.

Prompto’s eyes widened and he leapt off the bed, taking the camera carefully in his hands. He turned it on, scrolling through the photos he had taken on their trip, tears welling in his eyes.

Gladio had grabbed his camera. He could’ve grabbed anything else, his own personal effects, something of Noct’s, something for Ignis, but he had made sure he had Prompto’s camera.

Prompto looked up at Gladio, a smile across his face. He set the camera aside and flung his arms around Gladio’s waist. Gladio grunted, folding his own arms around Prompto’s body.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Prompto said. He felt more like himself with the camera. 

Gladio’s cheeks flushed slightly. He hadn’t expected Prompto’s reaction to be so exuberant. 

“No problem,” Gladio said, patting Prompto on the back. He slowly disengaged himself from Prompto and went back to the stovetop, stirring the noodles again. He looked at Prompto, who had dropped back onto the bed and was scanning through his pictures, a smile on his face.

Gladio smiled to himself. It had been totally worth it.

An easy silence fell between them as Prompto looked at his pictures. A sad expression came over his face. They had been so happy and carefree at the beginning of the trip. 

How times had changed.

There was a knock at the door. Prompto jumped, curling against the bed. Gladio put his hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Noct said he would knock when he came back.” 

Prompto nodded, clutching his camera to his chest.

The door slid open and Noctis and Ignis walked slowly in. Prompto’s eyes immediately fell to the hickey bright on Noctis’ neck. Gladio snorted when he saw it. That explained why it had taken Noctis an hour to find Ignis. 

He felt a wave of anger that Noctis had spent time making out with Ignis when Prompto was hurting. He squashed it down. 

Prompto turned his face away from Ignis, his heart pounding in his chest. Oh gods, he wasn’t sure he could do this. Gladio’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

“Spaghetti is on the stove. I highly recommend you both get in the shower. Makes a huge difference,” Gladio said, giving Prompto’s shoulder one last squeeze and walking back to the stovetop. “Found some granola bars and potions in the footlockers. Towels are in the lockers in the bathroom.”

Noctis blinked at him. “Uh, okay.” He hoped he hadn’t blushed too hard when Gladio had mentioned potions. He kept his hand on the small of Ignis’ back and led him to the bathroom. He smiled briefly at Prompto, saddened to see his friend shrinking away from both him and Ignis. They walked into the bathroom. 

Noctis leaned Ignis’ cane against the wall and turned to him. “You want a shower?”

“Yes, please,” Ignis said. He had been strangely quiet since they had left the conference room. Noctis opened one of the lockers and pulled out some towels.

Ignis started to slowly unbutton his shirt. They didn’t have any clothes to change into since they had left the train and the Regalia behind. He carefully shrugged out of, and Noctis took it from him and folded it over the bench. 

They quickly stripped down and Noctis took his arm and guided him into the communal shower. He turned on two of the shower heads and stood under one of them, Ignis standing quietly beside him. 

Gladio glanced into the bathroom as he stirred the noodles again. Ignis and Noctis weren’t talking, just standing under the water. He looked over at Prompto.

“You good?”

Prompto nodded shortly. It wasn’t going to be easy.

Gladio drained the noodles and dumped the sauce in, mixing it together. He heard the shower turn off and a few minutes later, Noct and Ignis came back out, fully dressed, with wet hair. 

Ignis sat on one of the beds, cane in his hand. Prompto watched him out of the corner of his eye, half expecting Ignis to start taunting him. Noctis patted Prompto’s leg as he walked by.

“Smells good,” Noctis said.

“Wasn’t a whole lot of options,” Gladio said, finding four bowls and divvying the spaghetti out. He found some forks and stuck them in the bowls, “but we need to eat something.”

“I’m starved,” Noctis said, taking two of the bowls from Gladio. He looked around the room with a frown on his face. He set the bowls down on one of the footlockers and dragged it over in front of Ignis. He dropped down onto the bed next to the blind man, pressing the bowl into his hands.

“Table right in front of us,” Noctis said quietly to him. Ignis nodded and wrapped his fingers around the fork.

Gladio handed Prompto a bowl and found four cups. He filled those with water and handed them out. Gladio sat next to Prompto, digging into his meal with gusto. 

Ignis ate carefully. He hated not being able to see his food. He was worried about pushing the food right out of the bowl and embarrassing himself. He reached out for the glass of water, and Noctis quickly guided his hand to it. Ignis took a slow drink.

Prompto had a hard time tearing his gaze away from Ignis. Gladio nudged him with his shoulder, and Prompto dropped his eyes to his bowl. He wanted to make sure Ignis stayed on that side of the room.

Noctis sighed, shoveling his spaghetti into his mouth. At least it didn’t have any vegetables. 

It took him a moment to realize that Ignis hadn’t moved for a few minutes. His head was forward, and the bowl rested loosely in his hands. His breathing was slow and deep.

“Is he asleep?” Gladio whispered.

“Yeah, I think so,” Noctis said, taking Ignis’ bowl from his limp hands. Ignis didn’t move. “He was asleep when I found him.”

“Well, I hope it’s restful, then,” Gladio said, “Gods know he needs it.”

Noctis nodded, gently pushing Ignis over. Ignis’ head hit the pillow. Noct stood up and lifted Ignis’ legs onto the bed. Gladio watched him as he pulled a blanket over Ignis’ shoulders. Noct sat back down and picked up his bowl again, determined to finish it.

“We should all try to get a couple hours of sleep,” Noctis said after a few minutes.

“Agreed,” Gladio said. Prompto nodded mutely, staring at his empty bowl. Gladio handed him what was left of his. Prompto tried to push it back, but Gladio shook his head firmly, mouthing ‘eat’ at the younger man.

Noctis stood up and took his and Ignis’ bowls back to the kitchenette. He set them on the counter and went back to the bed Ignis was in. He lay down next to Ignis, pressing his body against Ignis’ back. He threw his arm over Ignis’ waist, burying his face in between the taller man’s shoulder blades.

Prompto watched them for a moment after Gladio took the bowls from him. He thought of Ignis before Altissia, and then the damaged Ignis afterwards. He thought about the train, and what had happened down in the mine. He remembered the look of rage on Ignis’ face when he threw a fire spell at Gladio, Ignis’ terrified screaming after that dream, Gladio holding him and apologizing.

He thought about the Ignis that had tortured him, all swaggering confidence and taunting laughter. He knew, logically, that it couldn’t really have been Ignis that had tortured him, but it had looked just like Ignis, and he couldn’t easily separate that.

He raised his camera and took a quick picture of Noctis and Ignis sleeping side by side. Noctis would probably like to see it later. 

Prompto suddenly understood Ignis’ fear of sleeping. He was afraid that if he fell asleep, he’d be trapped back in that cell, arms stretched above his head, knife cutting away his stretch marks. 

“Hey,” Gladio said softly, breaking Prompto out of his thoughts. Prompto looked up at him, eyes wide. Gladio fell onto the bed next to him. Prompto stared at him as Gladio opened his arms. “C’mere.”

Prompto set his camera down and lay down next to Gladio, head resting on Gladio’s broad chest. Gladio folded his arms around Prompto. Prompto sighed, his eyes drifting shut.

Gladio would keep him safe.

Gladio fell asleep to Prompto’s gentle breaths across his chest. 

FFXV

Noctis woke several hours later, still pressed against Ignis’ back. He sat up, staring down at Ignis’ sleeping face. He was relieved that Ignis was sleeping, apparently soundly and undisturbed by nightmares. His hand reached out and he brushed hair off Ignis’ face.

“You really do love him,” Prompto’s voice came from across the room. Noctis looked up. Prompto was sitting next to Gladio’s sleeping form, one of Gladio’s arms thrown over his waist.

Noctis put his legs over the edge of the bed, resting his head in his hands. He reached out and grabbed his phone, checking the time. He had slept for nearly five hours.

“Yeah,” Noctis finally said, “I really do.”

“You never wanted to marry Lady Lunafreya?” Prompto asked. Noctis looked at him, seeing Prompto’s eyes reflect in the dim light.

Noctis shrugged. “I never felt anything romantically for her. I was prepared to marry her, I would’ve married her if it had really brought peace, but she was always more like a sister to me.”

Prompto looked at him. Noctis looked incredibly weary. Noctis’ eyes locked with his.

“You doing okay?” Noctis asked softly.

Prompto gave a half shrug. “I feel better now, clean, clothed, and fed. What’s the plan now?”

Noctis snorted. “The last plan we made fell apart before we even made it to Gralea. I’m just winging this shit, Prompto.”

Prompto let out a soft laugh. They sat in silence for a while, Noct’s hand resting lightly on Ignis’ hip. Gladio suddenly snorted and sat up.

“You okay there, big guy?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, m’good,” he said, stretching. “How long we been out?”

“About five hours,” Noctis said, leaning back against Ignis’ back.

Gladio ran his hand over his face. “I think that’s the longest any of us has slept since Cartanica.”

“Should we wake Ignis up?” Noctis asked, glancing at the sleeping man.

“Nah,” Gladio said, “he needs sleep more than any of us. Let’s give him another hour.”

Noctis nodded.

Prompto swallowed. “Hey, Noct?”

“Yeah?”

“Were you worried about me? You know, before?”

Noctis stared at him as if he had lost his mind. “Of course I was, what kind of question is that? I pushed you off a damn train, Prompto. I thought you were dead. We were all worried about you.”

Prompto nodded, and Gladio pulled him against his chest. 

“I hoped you guys would come for me. I had to believe it. Even thinking that it was Ignis that…even thinking it was Ignis, I had to believe you guys would come for me. That’s why I told myself I couldn’t die, not until I could see you and hear you tell me I’m not a fake—I’m the real me.”

Ignis lay quietly next to Noctis, listening to Prompto. His heart twisted. No one seemed to realize he was awake, listening. This didn’t seem like something Prompto wanted him to hear.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said softly.

“Don’t be,” Prompto said. “You thought I was Ardyn. He played us like tools.”

Ignis’ fist clenched in the sheets. 

“I really hate that creepy bastard,” Noctis muttered. “He was taunting me the entire time I was running around this stupid place.”

Ignis tried not to move. Ardyn had helped him.

“Let’s be honest, Noct, that man has been taunting us since Galdin Quay,” Gladio said.

Noctis laughed quietly. “Gods, ain’t that the truth.”

They sat in silence for a while. Noctis listened to Ignis breathing and felt him move. He leaned over as Ignis stirred.

Noctis took his hand, lacing his fingers with Ignis’. Ignis took a deep breath. They didn’t need to know he had heard the exchange about Ardyn.

“How long did I sleep?” he asked roughly.

“Close to five hours,” Gladio said from across the small room.

Ignis did the quick mental math. Ardyn had promised them a six hour respite. He and Noctis had been in the conference room for an hour, and he had slept for close to five.

Their respite was at an end.

Ignis sat up, pressing his free hand against his eyes. He didn’t even remember falling asleep. 

“How’d you sleep?” Noctis asked, squeezing Ignis’ hand.

Ignis tilted his face towards Noctis. “Well,” he whispered, “I must’ve been quite tired.”

“No shit,” Gladio said with a laugh. 

Noctis rested his head against Ignis’ shoulder. 

“Now what?” Prompto asked quietly.

“Something in this keep is blocking Noct from his magic,” Ignis said, “we need to find it and disable it before we go after the Crystal.”

“Makes sense,” Gladio said, “And I’d really like to have my weapons back.”

He squeezed Prompto’s shoulders and stood up, reaching for the granola bars he had found earlier. He passed them out, tucking the extras into his pockets. He distributed the potions too.

Noctis took the potion in his hand, cheeks flushing again. “We can’t use these without my magic.”

“They work if you drink them,” Prompto said, “they taste like butt, but they work.”

Noctis arched an eyebrow. “You know what butt tastes like, there, Prompto?”

Prompto stuck his tongue out at Noctis. Gladio rolled his eyes, glad to see Prompto relaxing.

“Plus,” Gladio said, “with any luck, you’ll have your magic back soon and we’ll be able to use them like normal. They’re less effective when you drink them, but they still help.”

The four of them silently got ready. Noctis buckled his sword belt around his waist. He couldn’t wait to have access to the Armiger back. This whole carrying around the sword and potions thing was a real pain in the ass.

Noctis handed Ignis his glasses and cane. 

“We ready?” Noctis asked, looking around at his companions. 

His heart swelled as he looked at them. Even after everything, they were still there, standing with him. Ignis, who had been with him forever, who he had finally realized was more precious to him than anything. Gladio, who was now bound to him through blood and magic, who had become the backbone of their group, especially recently. Prompto, his best friend, his first friend outside of the palace, who hadn’t had to come on this wild adventure, who hadn’t asked for all the shit that had been done to him, but was still there.

He swallowed hard. They still had a long way to go.

“We’re good,” Gladio said. “Let’s move out.”

FFXV

Noctis had noticed as they walked through the keep that Gladio constantly kept himself between Prompto and Ignis. He didn’t think Ignis realized it, but Gladio was steadfastly keeping Prompto away from the blind man.

Part of Noctis was glad to see it; Gladio was definitely taking care of Prompto. The other part of him was sad. He missed the days when the four of them had worked seamlessly together. 

Ignis trailed after them, his cane carefully tapping the ground. Noctis led the way, followed by Prompto and then Gladio.

“So, you’re rocking the ring now?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “Didn’t really have a choice; no friends, no weapons, someone had to save all your asses.”

Gladio snorted. “I seem to remember me and Ignis saving your skinny ass.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “You may have helped, a little. I totally had it under control.”

“Behemoth shit!” Gladio laughed, “You were trapped and about to be a crispy critter. We totally saved you.”

Noctis shook his head, a smile dancing across his lips. It felt so normal, it was almost possible to forget where they were. 

He wasn’t sure how much longer they walked through the confusing maze of hallways when Ignis called for a halt.

“Do you hear that?” he asked.

“I don’t hear anything,” Gladio said. 

“I’ve heard it once before,” Ignis muttered, “on the train, just before your weapons failed you. It’s nearby, and it may hold the key to restoring your powers.”

Gladio glanced back at Ignis, a frown across his face. Just how in the hell would Ignis know that? He shook his head. He couldn’t let what happened to Prompto color his view of Ignis. Ignis had been with him and Noct the entire time. Ignis would never turn against Noctis.

The door in front of Noctis slid open and he led them into a room he had been in before. He glanced up; it was the room with the locked throne in the middle. Noctis walked up to the door, his hand touching the control panel.

“It’s locked,” he said. “I had been looking for an upgrade for my key card, but I couldn’t find one that opened this door.”

“It’s in there,” Ignis said, “is there no way through?”

Prompto stared at them, his eyes darting from Noctis, to Ignis, to Gladio, who was looking at him. Gladio gave him a minute nod.

“There’s a way,” Prompto said softly. Noctis turned and looked at him. Prompto stepped forward, standing in front of the control panel. His chin quivered, but Gladio thought he might be the only one that noticed. Prompto lifted his right hand, flashing the back of his hand over the panel. The light turned green and the doors slid open.

Noctis stared at him, his mouth hanging open. Ignis tilted his head, frowning. 

Prompto stared into the throne room. “So…MTs, they’ve got these codeprints, just like I do.”

“Do they?” Noct asked. “Never looked.”

“Yeah,” Prompto said softly, not meeting Noct’s eyes, “so it turns out I’m one of them. Ig-he told me what it meant. I knew I was adopted, but…still, you guys are like the only friends I’ve ever known. I just hope that things can go back to the way they were.”

“Whatever,” Noctis said, “who cares where you were born?”

“I can’t see you turning against us,” Ignis said softly. Prompto’s eyes snapped to Ignis. “Not now, not ever.”

Gladio wanted to say something along the lines of ‘you can’t see at all,’ but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Prompto blinked back tears. He didn’t know what to think of Ignis saying that. It was the first words Ignis had said to him since they had found Prompto.

“Thanks, guys. Still, can’t change where I come from, what I am.”

Noctis took a step forward. “Since when does where you come from matter to you?”

Prompto looked at him, his eyes widening in confusion. 

“You never once treated me as a prince,” Noctis said with a grin.

Gladio laughed. “He’s got you there.”

“Never so much as a ‘Highness,’” Ignis said dryly. Prompto’s eyes darted to Ignis again. He remembered what Gladio said about Ignis’ strange new ability to take command of MTs. Now that Ignis knew Prompto was one of them, would he try to take him over, just to see if he could? Gladio wouldn’t let him.

“We’re done here,” Noctis said, “c’mon, crown citizen. You’re one of us, right?”

Noctis put his hand on Ignis’ back, guiding him into the room. Ignis paused, his head tilted towards Prompto.

“Unless you’d rather not be?”

Noctis dragged him into the room. Gladio smiled at Prompto, drawing him against him in a tight hug.

“Told you,” Gladio whispered into Prompto’s hair. Prompto hugged him tightly.

“Thanks,” he said. Gladio smiled down at him and they walked into the throne room. Prompto stared at the throne. 

“Uh, guys?”

“Yeah?” Noctis asked.

“It the emperor running around naked or something?”

Gladio looked at the robe folded on the throne. “That’s really weird.”

“He’s not here, that’s all I care about,” Noctis said. Ignis nodded in agreement. 

Noctis stood in front of a wall of servers. He reached out and touched it. 

“Sound coming from this thing?” he asked Ignis.

Ignis nodded. “Yes, I believe so.”

“Great,” Noctis pulled his sword from the sheath and slammed it into the server bank. The lights flickered and died. Ignis tilted his head back, listening as the strange noise went silent.

“Did it work?” Prompto asked, looking up.

“Let’s find out,” Noctis said, lifting his hand in front of him. He flicked his wrist and the engine blade appeared in his hand. He grinned broadly.

Gladio lifted his arm, his shield and Greatsword appearing in his hands. He laughed and sent them back to the Armiger.

Prompto held his hands out, his pistols suddenly in his palms. He smiled. He felt so much safer with them.

Ignis shifted, calling a single dagger to his hand. He ran his thumb over the hilt. It wasn’t like he was effective with it, at the moment. He sent it back into the armory with a flick of his wrist.

Ardyn had said he would be able to fight again, to protect Noctis. 

He tried not to think of Ardyn. Noctis was nearby. Noctis loved him. He didn’t need Ardyn.

No matter how good it had felt to taste the Darkness of that daemon.

“We’re back, baby,” Gladio said with a grin.

Noctis picked up his father’s sword and stared at it. With a twist of his wrist, he sent it to join the other Royal Arms. He unbuckled the sword belt and tossed it on the throne.

“Let’s roll,” Noctis said, walking out of the throne room. The massive daemon that had dropped him from the bridge earlier dropped in front of them.

“Not you again,” Noctis growled.

“New friend?” Prompto asked, calling his pistols. Gods it felt good to have weapons in hand.

“You really need to pick ‘em better,” Gladio said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noctis said. He was just glad that the others were with him. 

Ignis stood frozen in shock when the daemons appeared. He could _feel_ them, that cold flickering darkness, reaching out to him, calling to him, singing to him.

A goblin reached out to him, snatching at his wrist. He felt that cold flame near him, and his hand shot out, the dagger burying itself in the goblin’s head.

Part of him mourned the loss of that Darkness as he felt the daemon die. His hand shot again, slicing another daemon.

“Whoa,” Gladio said, watching Ignis for a moment. “Guess you can hold your own.”

“I must try,” Ignis said softly. It wasn’t like he could tell them he could feel the daemons.

Finally, the daemons fell and silence dropped around them.

“Now then, the Crystal,” Ignis said, sending his dagger away.

“Right,” Noctis said, watching Ignis curiously. There was something strange about the way Ignis had been fighting those daemons. He didn’t really have time to think of it now. He’d talk to Ignis later.

They moved out, Gladio still keeping himself between Prompto and Ignis. Prompto sent him a relieved smile.

They traversed through more hallways. Noctis wanted to destroy the empire simply for creating this damn keep. He never wanted to see another maze in his life.

They walked through another door and it slammed shut behind them. 

“Now what?” Noctis snapped. There was an angry howl and a daemon unlike any he had ever seen dropped in front of them. 

It was tall, with thick muscled legs and wicked talons. Its skin was red, and its head was small. Wings erupted from its back, and its clawed hands dragged the ground. 

“The ring, it’s mine!” The daemon howled.

“What the hell?” Prompto yelled, “Since when can daemons talk?”

Ignis tilted his head, taking a step back. This daemon felt different from the others. The cold flame was bigger with this one. He frowned. There was something…

“Could it truly be?” he whispered. 

“What?” Gladio snarled, swinging his Greatsword into the daemon’s leg.

“The Emperor,” Ignis said, dodging a smaller daemon.

“Does seem awfully keen on the ring,” Gladio muttered.

“So, we fight him?” Prompto asked, shooting a goblin creeping up behind Ignis.

Noctis swallowed. If this truly was the Emperor, it seemed that Ardyn had been telling the truth. Daemons used to be human.

“We take mercy,” he said, lifting his right hand. He called upon the power of the Ring of the Lucii, tearing a hole in the space around them. The daemons screamed, bodies being sucked towards the font of light.

Ignis stumbled sideways, his hand clutching his stomach. Gods, that hurt. What was Noctis doing? He gasped, clutching the wall. He felt the inexorable pull towards that light, the lights sucking the daemons out of existence.

_Stand strong_ , Ardyn’s voice whispered through his mind. _You don’t get to leave yet, Ignis Scientia._

Ignis took a shuddering breath and stood up. No one seemed to have noticed anything wrong with him. Thank the gods. 

“The empire shall span all the lands,” the daemon cried, dragging itself away from Noctis. “By the Crystal’s light, we shall flourish…I shall arise, as ruler of the world!”

“Not on my watch,” Noctis said, his father’s blade appearing in his hand. He swung the blade in a wide arc, severing the former emperor’s head from his body.

Dark flames writhed from the body, and Noctis could hear it screaming long after the body disappeared.

“Well,” Prompto said, staring at the spot where the body was, “that was weird.”

“How in the hell was that the Emperor?” Gladio asked.

Noctis shrugged, sending his sword away. He glanced at Ignis and frowned. The taller man was leaning against the wall, breathing hard.

“When I was wandering around this place alone, Ardyn told me that daemons used to be human. He didn’t say how it happened, but…” Noctis gestured at the ashy remains of the body. “Seems to be true.”

He walked over to Ignis and touched his arm. Ignis jumped slightly. Noctis frowned again. Ignis’ skin was cold to the touch.

“That’s terrifying,” Prompto said, standing next to Gladio.

“Yeah it is,” Gladio said.

Noctis squeezed Ignis’ hand. “You good?” he whispered to Ignis.

Ignis nodded, fingers curling around Noctis’. He imagined he could almost feel Noctis’ light reaching out to him, like when Noctis had held him in the conference room.

As long as Noctis was around, he would be fine.

He squeezed Noct’s fingers again and stepped back. “We should keep moving,” he said softly.

“Iggy’s right,” Gladio said, frowning at Prompto when he flinched at Ignis’ nickname, “the sooner we get the Crystal, the faster we can get the hell out of this place.”

“Amen to that,” Noctis said, clapping Prompto on the shoulder. Prompto shot him a weak smile.

They continued on.

“Where we going, anyway?” Prompto asked.

“Central elevator,” Noctis said, “it should take us all the way to the top. I’m pretty sure that’s where the Crystal is.”

“Great,” Prompto said. “Where’s the elevator?”

“In the hangar. Just have to find our way back there…”

“We’re not lost, are we?” Gladio asked, pulling a granola bar from his pocket and tearing into it.

“We’re not lost,” Noctis said, “we may have just misplaced our way.”

“Oh jeez,” Gladio muttered.

“I’m kidding,” Noctis said, stopping in front of an elevator. “This leads back down to the hangar. All aboard who’s getting aboard.”

They walked onto the elevator and Noctis punched the button. Ignis leaned against the wall. He seemed tired, which didn’t surprise Noct. Five hours of sleep in three days wasn’t near enough. He touched Ignis’ arm again, and was pleased to realize that his skin wasn’t quite as icy as it had been.

That had been weird, and worrying.

The elevator rumbled to a stop and they got out. 

Gladio whistled, looking around. “One helluva hangar.” 

“Yeah,” Noctis said, stopping in front of an empty elevator cage. “The elevator is through here.”

“And out of the loading bay,” Gladio said with a nod.

They heard a rumble as the huge hangar bay door slowly opened.

“Your Majesty,” Ardyn’s voice came from above, “your precious Crystal awaits you.”

Noctis scowled at Ardyn’s voice. The silence for the past several hours had been a blessing. 

Ignis started upon hearing his voice, his heart crawling up his throat. He was suddenly terrified Ardyn would reveal his secret; it seemed like something the chancellor would do.

Someone was walking towards them slowly. Noctis frowned. There was something wrong with the person’s walk.

“To liven things up, I thought I’d take you on a stroll down memory lane. Of course, memories decay with time,” Ardyn practically purred. Ignis shivered. He felt something strange approaching them; it felt similar to how the emperor daemon had felt, that cold fire coming ever closer.

The person staggering towards them stepped into view. Noctis covered his mouth.

“Ravus?” he whispered in horror. Ravus had been dead, there had been no mistaking that. This wasn’t Ravus as he remembered him though.

This Ravus was half covered in Darkness, a horn spiraling from his head. The Darkness pulsed over his heart, black veins stretching across his skin. His mechanical arm was back on his body, and a black, dripping blade was in his other hand.

“Oh…oh gods,” Prompto whispered, pressing back against Gladio.

Ravus threw his arms back, an unearthly howl tearing from his lips. “Kill me…end it!”

He took another staggering step towards them, his one human eye locked on Noctis. Noctis summoned his father’s blade. It seemed right to fight Ravus with the weapon he had carried; right, or horribly ironic. He could figure it out later.

He warped in, blade snapping against Ravus’. Ravus roared at him, throwing him back and rushing at Prompto and Gladio.

Ravus ignored Ignis.

Ravus was much taller than he had been when he was alive. Gladio barely came up to his waist. The ground around Ravus turned black, oily darkness spreading from his body.

“Get back!” Gladio yelled, grabbing Noctis around the waist and throwing them both backwards.

Tendrils of Darkness shot up from the ground, arching towards them. Noctis warped out of the way, and the dark tendrils fell short of all of them.

“We need to end this quickly,” he called to the others, striking Ravus again. 

Ignis wondered if he could end. Could he take that same dark flame from Ravus that he had from the goblin?

He felt a hand on his hip and he started. “Don’t try it,” Ardyn whispered in his ear, “you’re not strong enough for one of his…power. I’m not teaching you this so you can go off and get yourself killed so quickly. I have so many plans for you, Ignis.”

Ignis shuddered. Ardyn’s hand vanished, and Ignis wondered if he had ever really been there at all.

The fighting was still going on. Ignis slid down the wall at his back, a faint fire burning behind his eyes.

FFXV

Ravus stumbled, his knees hitting the ground before Noctis. He lifted his head, staring at the king. 

“Please,” Ravus whispered. The oil like blackness covering half of his body glowed purple, twisting and pulsing. “Please, Noctis.”

Noctis stood above him, sword in hand. His eyes glowed faintly. “Eternal rest grant unto him, O gods, and let perpetual Light shine upon him.” 

“Amen,” Gladio said, watching as Noctis drove the blade straight through Ravus’ heart.

Ravus fell, his body still. The purple flames vanished. Ignis gasped softly, feeling that cold fire vanish.

“A sad end for the high commander,” Gladio said softly, putting his hand on Noct’s shoulder. Noctis was trembling slightly, blinking back tears. No one deserved what had been done to Ravus. Gladio hugged Noctis to him. “A sad end for anyone. He was a man with hopes and dreams.”

“It’s horrible,” Prompto whispered, staring at Ravus’ body.

“How was this done?” Ignis whispered. He wondered idly if Ardyn would teach him that, too. He rubbed his eyes. The pain was returning.

Noctis turned his head, still wrapped in Gladio’s arms, and watched as Ravus’ body vanished, leaving nothing but an oily residue behind.

He disengaged himself from Gladio and ran his hand through his hair. Gods, he was tired. He didn’t want to think about what they had just done. He hoped Luna would be there to greet her brother, wherever they were.

Ignis tilted his head. He could feel it again, daemons getting closer. A lot of daemons.

The ground started to boil with Darkness, familiar black fire leaping from the ground, heralding the arrival of a veritable army of daemons.

“Look alive!” Gladio yelled, summoning his sword, “we’ve got company!”

Noctis and Prompto leapt into the fray. No one seemed to notice that the daemons completely ignored Ignis unless he attacked them first.

It seemed like for every daemon they cut down, three more appeared.

“We’re getting nowhere!” Gladio bellowed.

“Noct,” Ignis said, “you must go on alone.”

“What?” Noctis asked, stopping in front of Ignis. Ignis panted, clutching his dagger.

“If you can obtain the Crystal’s power, we may yet turn the tide,” Ignis said softly. Noctis batted a daemon aside, staring in horror at Ignis.

“I can’t just leave you…all of you!”

“We will die, Noctis, if you do not,” Ignis said softly, his hand shooting out and impaling a daemon with his dagger.

Gladio and Prompto kept the daemons away from Ignis and Noctis.

“Ignis…” Noctis whispered. 

Ignis’ dagger disappeared as he reached forward, fingers finally finding Noct’s face. His cane was tucked under his arm. 

The sounds of the battle fell away as Noctis stared up into Ignis’ face. Ignis cupped his face. 

“You are the only one that can do this,” Ignis said. Prompto shot a daemon away from him. “It has to be you.”

“I can’t Iggy,” Noctis whispered, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t lose you.”

“Aren’t you the one always telling me that love follows us after death?” Ignis asked.

Noctis nodded.

Ignis smiled sadly. “I will wait for you, Noctis.”

Noctis bit back a sob. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t leave them all. He couldn’t leave Ignis!

“Ignis…”

“Noct, you must go, now,” Ignis said, fingers wiping away Noct’s tears. “I love you, Noctis. Now, go!”

Ignis dropped his hands and stepped back, summoning his dagger. 

With a strangled cry, Noctis spun and started running for the elevator. He slapped Gladio and Prompto on the shoulder as he passed, tears blurring his vision.

He slid in front of the elevator, trying to ignore the sounds of fighting behind him.

“You could still make it to the Crystal,” Ardyn’s voice rang from somewhere, “if you went alone. Your friends will have to stay behind.”

He dove into the elevator as the cage opened, leaning against the wall, struggling to breathe through his sobs.

He left them. He left Ignis.

He ran as he heard an announcement about the hangar doors closing. That son of a bitch Ardyn was not making this easy. Daemons appeared in front of him; he ran past them, ignoring them as he charged for the hangar door.

“If you wish to obtain the Crystal’s power, you must be prepared to lose all else,” Ardyn’s voice felt like a whisper meant only for him.

Noctis turned back and looked towards the loading bay. The sounds of fighting were distant. He couldn’t hear any of his friends anymore.

He closed his eyes and turned away. “Don’t…die on me,” he whispered, flinching when the door slid shut behind him with a ringing finality.

FFXV

Noctis reached the central elevator. The silence weighed down on him. His cheeks burned where Ignis had cupped his face. He stepped into the elevator, riding it up.

“Do you suppose your dear friends are still alive?” Ardyn asked. “What about Ignis? You left him, Noct. I’m surprised at you.”

Noctis grit his teeth.

“Those who died for you-do you ever wonder what went through their minds? Can you even recall their final words?”

Noctis clenched his fist, staring down at the ring on his hand. “I’ll come back for you all, I swear.”

The elevator finally came to a stop. The doors opened, and Noctis found himself staring down a long, tall hallway. He couldn’t see the end of it. 

He started running. “How far does this go?” 

The hallway opened up into a massive chamber, a narrow bridge continuing on. His footsteps echoed in the vast chamber. “The Crystal had better be here.”

He didn’t know what he would do if it wasn’t. If the others, if Ignis, had sacrificed themselves for nothing, he would hunt Ardyn down and make him pay.

He could see it just ahead; dark blue, with a glowing red heart. The Crystal, stolen from his father, hidden away in the heart of the Empire.

“Your journey is over, Noct,” Ardyn said.

He slid to stop in front of the Crystal. It glowed, light coursing over his body. He glanced up. It was held in place with chains.

Up close, it looked like a giant, beautiful geode. He stretched his right hand out, imagining he could feel warmth sinking into his skin.

“Please…help me stop the daemons,” he whispered. The light radiating from the Crystal seemed to intensify. It wrapped around his hand, gently caressing him, filling his body with warmth and light.

Then it pulled him closer.

Noctis gasped, struggling. “Why?” he ground out. The light wrapped around him, drawing him ever closer to the Crystal.

He was suddenly afraid. His hand seemed to be melting into the Crystal.

“Unharmed by Light, the Chosen King indeed,” Ardyn said, stepping out from the bridge. “Allow me to regale you with a tale.” 

Noctis turned his head, searching desperately for Ardyn. His free hand wrapped around his right hand, trying in vain to free himself.

“In an age long past, an incurable scourge ravaged mankind. A tiny menace that twisted men into monsters, the likes of which you’ve seen.”

Ardyn stepped closer to him, and Noctis could see a strange, winged sleeve over his arm. He looked like a one-winged avenging angel. Noctis’ entire right arm was engulfed in the Crystal. His feet no longer touched the ground.

“In Lucis lived a savior that could cure the afflicted. His body would come to host myriads of daemons, that countless lives be spared.”

What in the hell was Ardyn talking about?

Noctis’ right leg was pulled into the Crystal. He hung there, still struggling.

“But a jealous king, one not yet chosen by the Crystal, ostracized and demonized this healer of the people. Making a true monster of him.”

Ardyn turned away slightly, and turned back. “I gave you my name earlier, but you should know it was not the name given to me at birth.”

All of Noctis’ appendages were in the Crystal. He could feel it squeezing around his chest. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ardyn, standing there, a cruel, yet almost sad smile on his face.

“Ardyn Lucis Caelum is my proper name. You’ll never guess whose name Izunia was.”

Noctis stared at him in horror. No. No, it couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be true!

“Noct, killing you as a mortal will bring me scant satisfaction. Claim the Crystal’s power, arise as its champion.” Ardyn reached up and caressed Noctis’ cheek. “Only once the Crystal and King are no more…can I know redemption.”

The Crystal was melting over Noct’s face. Ardyn blurred before him.

“Come back soon,” Ardyn said, touching his own chest, “I shall keep your friends company until you are ready…especially Ignis. I wouldn’t want him to be lonely, now would I?”

Noctis screamed. He felt the Crystal surge down his throat. His last image was of Ardyn touching his hat in a sarcastic salute.

His last thought was of Ignis.

FFXV

Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis kept fighting. The flood of daemons was never ending. 

“Guys?” Prompto said, quickly reloading his pistols.

“Yes, Prompto?” Ignis panted. 

“Just want to say, it’s been a real privilege getting to know you guys.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said softly.

“Same here, Prompto,” Gladio said.

The daemons suddenly stopped fighting, stepping back and vanishing into the floor.

The three men stood there, panting, covered in blood and bruises.

“What…what just happened?” Prompto asked.

“Do you think Noctis got to the Crystal?” Gladio asked.

“It stands to rea-“ Ignis cut himself off with a gasp. Prompto watched as Ignis’ face went absolutely white, his scar standing out violently on his face. He looked up at Gladio and swallowed hard. Gladio’s face was nearly as white as Ignis’, and he looked horrified.

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered in horror. He scrambled forward, hitting his knees and surging to his feet. He fell again, Noct’s name falling from his lips.

Prompto grabbed Ignis’ arm without thinking. It was the first time he had touched him.

“What? What happened?” Prompto cried, looking back and forth between the men.

Gladio swallowed. Prompto thought he saw tears swimming in Gladio’s eyes.

“I can’t feel him, Prompto,” Gladio whispered, “I can’t feel the bond to Noctis.”

Prompto’s face went white. “No. No, it can’t be!”

Gladio felt ill. He hadn’t really ever noticed the bond to Noctis after he had been bound, but it had always been there, almost comforting in the feel of Noct’s magic around his wrist and neck.

And it was suddenly gone. 

Gladio looked at Ignis and his chest tightened. It had to have been worse for Ignis. 

Ignis felt like a part of him was missing. That bond that tied him to Noctis was gone. Gone.

Noctis was gone.

He pulled away from Prompto and stumbled forward. Gladio grabbed Ignis and pulled him to his feet. He started to run to the elevator, dragging Ignis with him. Prompto charged after them.

They had to be wrong. Noctis couldn’t be gone. He couldn’t be dead.

They leapt out of the elevator, Gladio’s hand still wrapped around Ignis’ arm. They charged across the hangar, the doors sliding open as they reached it. They piled in the central elevator. No one said anything as it rose. Gladio could feel Ignis trembling next to him.

The doors open and they ran down the tall hallway.

Gladio saw Ardyn standing in front of the Crystal, and the Crystal was dark. It was supposed to be full of light and it looked like nothing so much as a giant rock.

“Where is he?” Prompto yelled, staring at Ardyn.

Ardyn turned with a smile, gesturing to the Crystal. “He is where he needs to be, wrapped in the arms of the gods.”

“What?” Gladio snarled.

“He’s inside the Crystal,” Ardyn said, “I’ll try to use small words for you.”

Ardyn’s eyes locked on Ignis and he smiled. He took a step forward. Gladio’s sword appeared in his hands. He was surprised at how difficult it was to summon the blade. He slammed it into Ardyn’s face with a cry.

Ardyn stumbled back, Darkness curling off his body like smoke. He stood back up, adjusting his hat on his head. 

Prompto snarled and drew his gun, shooting Ardyn in the back of the head. The bullet flew out of his eye. Ardyn fell forward, his arms spreading as his face hit the floor. His hat rolled to a stop at Ignis’ feet.

Ignis’ heart was in his throat. Noctis was gone, Ardyn was-

No. Ardyn wasn’t dead. He could feel him, that delicious darkness reaching for him from Ardyn’s body. He trembled when he heard Ardyn stand up.

Prompto and Gladio stepped back, eyes wide in horror.

“Not possible,” Prompto whispered. It had been a perfect shot. No one could get up from a headshot. 

Ardyn grasped his hat and placed it back on his head. The same oily darkness that had surrounded Ravus leaked from Ardyn’s eyes, pulsed beneath his skin.

Gladio stared at Ardyn and felt sick. He watched as Ardyn stopped in front of Ignis, touching Ignis’ cheek. He stifled a cry as Ardyn leaned forward and kissed Ignis hard on the mouth. 

For a split second, Ignis could taste that seductive, rich wine taste on Ardyn’s lips. He pushed himself back, covering his mouth in horror.

Ardyn smiled. “I’ll see you soon, Ignis.”

He walked away, a smile on his lips.

Ignis stood against the rail, trembling, his hand still pressed against his lips.

Noctis couldn’t be gone. Ignis stepped forward, inching closer to the Crystal, his hands reaching out. His cane hit the floor with a clang.

His fingers touched the Crystal. He was whimpering, fingers tracing the hard forms before him.

Gladio stepped up to Prompto, pulling the smaller man against him. Prompto sniffed, tears running down his face. They turned to watch Ignis.

Ignis’ head fell against the Crystal. The fire raged behind his eyes, the pain nearly driving him to his knees.

His forehead pressed against the Crystal. A heartbroken scream tore from his throat, echoing around the chamber.

FFXV

On the bridge, Ardyn heard the blind man’s wail and he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to beg a little here, please let me know what you guys think of this chapter! Please.
> 
> Thank you!


	23. Now-The Return to Lucis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Darkness falls and the boys return to Lucis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, thank you SO much for all the comments on the past chapter. Just, thank you. It makes me feel good.  
> Second, this chapter ran away from me. It is just setting up the timeskip, and many side characters make an appearance in it. Not a lot happens in it, but I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless. Most of the timeskip is going to focus solely on Ignis, this chapter is one of the few with the others. They will still be there and will have sections in the chapters, but this is now Ignis' story.  
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-The Return to Lucis

**Cape Caem**

Talcott looked at his watch and stretched. Ten AM and the sun wasn’t up yet. He had about another half hour before the sun rose. He sighed and put his boots on. He was usually one of the first ones up at Cape Caem, even though Cor wouldn’t let him go outside until the sun was up. The daemons were getting stronger. 

He opened the door and stepped outside, closing it softly behind him. He wasn’t supposed to be out yet, but he wanted to watch the sun rise from the lighthouse. He picked up one of the small swords resting outside the door and hefted it in his hands.

He wasn’t supposed to touch the weapons without Cor or Monica around, but he wasn’t going to walk to the lighthouse without a weapon, even if he wasn’t very good with it yet. He was getting better.

Maybe one day he would impress Noctis and the others.

He ran up the hill, constantly looking for daemons. They had lights around the house, and the lighthouse was on all the time, but it was still creepy to be out in the dark alone.

It was creepy that it was well after what was supposed to be sunrise and it was still dark. He got the lighthouse and jumped in the elevator, riding it to the top.

He sighed and leaned against the railing, staring into the east. The sun should be up soon.

He waited, and waited, and waited. 

Talcott tilted his head back, a frown on his face. There was something drifting out of the sky. He reached a hand out.

It seemed to be ash. Had Ravatogh erupted?

He swallowed, fear suddenly rising in him. He checked his watch. It was almost noon.

He grabbed his sword and leapt back into the elevator. Something was wrong. He had to talk to Cor. His feet hit the ground the moment the elevator door opened. 

“Marshal! Marshal!” Talcott screamed, leaping the stairs and throwing the door to the house.

Cor was sitting at the table, coffee mug raised halfway to his lips. His eyes widened when Talcott charged in, half collapsing next to him.

“Marshal, there’s something…something’s wrong,” Talcott panted.

Iris walked out from the kitchen. “What do you mean, Tal?”

Talcott swallowed. “I…I went to watch the sunrise from the lighthouse, cause, you know, the sun’s been coming up at about ten-thirty, and I just kept waiting and waiting and while I was up there, well,” he held his hand out to Cor, the bit of ash in his palm.

Cor frowned and picked it up, rubbing it between his fingers.

“Where did this come from?”

“There was some falling out of the sky,” Talcott said.

Cor stared at his ash covered hand. He looked at the time, and then pinned Iris with his gaze.

“When was the last time you heard from Gladiolus?” he asked her.

Iris looked down, a sad expression crossing her face. “A few days ago. They were getting ready to leave Cartanica.”

“Nothing since then?” Cor asked.

Iris shook her head. She had tried not to let everyone know how worried she was about her brother and the others. 

Cor lurched to his feet and darted out the door.

“Marshal?” Iris called after him. She and Talcott looked at each other and ran out after him. They reached the lighthouse, and followed him up the elevator. 

Cor was clutching the railing, staring hard into the sky.

“Marshal?” Iris whispered. “What is it?”

“The sun is up,” Cor said softly. 

“But…it’s still dark!” Talcott said, eyes wide.

“What does it mean?” Iris asked, staring into the dark sky.

“Try to call your brother,” Cor said darkly. 

Iris pulled out her phone with shaking hands. She pulled up Gladio’s number and called it. She held her phone to her ear. After two rings, it disconnected. She shook her head.

“I haven’t been able to get through to him for two days,” she said.

Cor clenched his fist.

“Marshal?” Talcott whispered, fear lacing his voice.

“Talcott, go back to the house, tell Monica to start packing. We’re heading to Lestallum,” Cor said. Talcott nodded and darted to the elevator. Cor waited until Talcott was gone and turned back to Iris.

She stared at him, face set. “What is this, Marshal? What does it mean?”

He looked back up into the sky. “’O’er rotted Soil, under blighted sky, A dread Plague the Wicked has wrought.’ Oh, gods, Regis, I’m so sorry. I thought we’d have more time.”

Iris frowned. Why was he apologizing to King Regis? The King couldn’t have known that this would happen? And what had he meant by that weird sentence? It had sounded familiar. Something she had heard once in school, perhaps? Something about darkness…Her eyes widened. Cor nodded at her.

“The long night has begun.”

FFXV

**Hammerhead**

Cindy wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Papa had made it back two weeks before, after he had dropped the prince and his friends off to catch a train into Gralea. He hadn’t told her what happened in Altissia, but the look on his face had been enough. It had been bad. 

She hated the lengthening nights. She liked working on the cars in the sun, not trapped in the garage. She looked at the time and slammed the hood down on the junker she was working on. There was almost no point to trying to get the damn thing running again. Some hunter had found it and towed it back.

Cindy walked out of the garage and looked into the sky. It was dark, but it seemed different than the night sky. She couldn’t see any stars. She pulled her hat off and squinted. No moon, either.

The sky had a strange, green tint to it.

She heard Papa walking towards her and she turned to face him. His face was set in sadness.

“Papa?”

“Pull out all the lights we have, Cin,” he said gruffly. She stared at him.

“Why?” she asked, putting her hat back on.

“People are going to need refuge from the daemons and the dark,” he said, staring into the sky. “Reggie told me this would happen,” he muttered, almost like he was talking to himself. “I was just hoping we would have more time…”

He turned and walked away, leaving Cindy looking after him with a bewildered expression on her face. 

She looked back up at the sky. She held her hand out and looked at her palm. A flake of ash landed in her hand.

In the distance, she heard the roar of a daemon.

FFXV

**Altissia**

Weskham stood up and wiped his brow. They had been working for a month, trying to clear the wreckage left by the Leviathan and the Empire. The sun shone weakly down upon the ruined city, anemic and pitiful.

It was slow work. The beautiful city would never be the same again. 

Weskham would never be the same again. Seeing Noctis had been a shock, after all these years. He could see Regis in his son, and it was like a punch to the gut. He had missed his friend. After Regis had gotten married, he had given Weskham his blessing to move to Altissia. 

He had known, of course, that Noctis would one day come to join the covenant with the Hydrean, but he had hoped that he wouldn’t see the prince for another ten years at least.

There never seemed to be enough time.

He tossed another piece of wood aside and frowned. It was getting darker. He glanced at his watch. A little before noon.

“Oh no,” he whispered, jogging to the edge of a pier. He looked up into the sky as the faded blue melted into a sickly green, and then darkness.

Other survivors gathered around him, all staring into the sky.

Weskham bowed his head, whispering a silent pray for the prince and his companions.

Whispering a silent pray for them all.

FFXV

**Zegnautus Keep**

Ignis slammed his hands against the Crystal, screaming Noct’s name. The Crystal shredded his gloves. He didn’t even notice when his hands started bleeding, skin catching on the Crystal and being torn from his hands. What was another scar?

Prompto watched Ignis attack the Crystal, tears running down his face. Noctis was gone. It couldn’t be possible. Noct couldn’t be gone.

Gladio stood next to him, trying not to cry. 

“We have to get out of here,” Gladio muttered.

“W…What?” Prompto said, staring at him.

“We can’t stay here. We need to get back to Lucis, make a game plan. The chancellor said Noct’s not dead…we…” he turned his head away, fighting tears. “We have to believe that Noctis will be back.”

Prompto wiped his eyes and took a shuddering breath. “Okay.”

Gladio squeezed his shoulder and took a hesitant step towards Ignis.

“Ignis, Iggy, we have to go,” his voice was soft, like he was talking to a spooked chocobo. Ignis didn’t seem to hear him. Ignis wouldn’t stop screaming.

Gladio put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis snarled and shoved him away, turning back to the Crystal. Gladio frowned, reaching for him again.

“Ignis, we can’t stay here. We will die,” Gladio said firmly. Ignis’ shoulders hunched, his blood staining the Crystal. 

“Shit,” Gladio muttered, grasping Ignis shoulder. The howl that escaped Ignis’ throat made Gladio jump. He had never heard a human make a sound like that.

“Fuck. Sorry about this Iggy,” Gladio said, wrapping his arm around Ignis’ neck and pinching him in a sleeper hold. Ignis snarled and clawed at his arm, his teeth snapping against Gladio’s arm. Gladio felt Ignis’ nails dig into his arm, blood smearing across his tattoo.

Gladio turned his face away, eyes clenched shut. “I’m so sorry, Iggy.”

It felt like an eternity before Ignis went limp in Gladio’s arms. Gladio felt tears running down his face as he lifted Ignis across his shoulders in a firemen’s carry. His glasses fell to the floor with a soft clang.

Gladio looked at Prompto. “Grab his glasses and cane,” he said roughly. Prompto picked them up and carefully tucked Ignis’ glasses into his pocket.

Gladio looked at the Crystal; dark, its inner light extinguished, stained with Ignis’ blood.

“We’re coming back for you, Noctis, I swear it,” Gladio whispered. He turned and started walking down the bridge, Ignis a heavy weight across his shoulders.

Prompto touched the Crystal. “I’ll miss you, Noct…you’re the best friend I’ve ever had…”

He bit back a sob and ran after Gladio, tears rolling uninhibited down his cheeks.

FFXV

Gladio wasn’t sure how they had made it back to street level. Leaving the Crystal had been a blur. The only thing he was aware of was Ignis’ weight across his shoulders and Prompto’s soft sniffling as the blonde followed him.

If he hadn’t been carrying Ignis, he would’ve held Prompto’s hand.

Noctis was gone. 

He had been surprised that it was dark when they had left the keep. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but there was a strange quality to the darkness.

He didn’t like it.

They had made it to the train tracks without passing a workable vehicle. Gladio had no idea how they were going to get back to Lucis, but they couldn’t stay here.

Ignis shifted across his shoulders, whimpering. Gladio paused and lowered him slowly to the ground. He touched Ignis’ cheek.

“Ignis?” he asked softly. Ignis moaned, curling into a ball. Prompto stood nearby, eyes scanning the tracks for threats. 

Ignis’ mind felt fuzzy. What had happened? Where was-

No. Oh gods, no. 

He shoved his fist into his mouth, biting down as hard as he could on his knuckles. It had to be a dream. It had to be Ardyn toying with him. If he could only wake up, everything would be fine. 

Noctis would be there, waiting at his bedside for him to wake up.

Ignis tasted blood and felt pain shoot from his hand down his arm. A high scream built in his throat, fighting to get out around his knuckle.

Noctis was gone.

Noctis had left him.

He was alone.

“Ignis, please,” Gladio whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Ignis fought to get away from him. “Iggy, please, don’t make me knock you out again.”

Ignis didn’t seem to hear him. He just kept screaming, blood streaming from his hands and tears rolling down his face.

Prompto looked away, trying not to cry. He couldn’t even bring himself to be afraid of this Ignis. This Ignis was a sad and broken man.

With a soft cry, Gladio lifted Ignis and tore the other man’s hand from his mouth. He wrapped his arm around Ignis’ neck and applied pressure. Ignis didn’t even fight him, he just kept screaming until he had no air, and finally, mercifully, went limp.

Gladio held him for a moment, his body heavy in his arms. “Oh, gods, Iggy, I’m sorry.”

Prompto heard the familiar whine of an imperial airship. He gestured for Gladio to drag Ignis out of sight and stared up as the craft lowered itself and the ramp opened.

“Looks like you boys could use a ride,” a familiar voice said. 

“Aranea?” Prompto asked. 

The mercenary dropped from her ship and landed in front of Prompto. Her eyes moved over him, taking in his dirty imperial coveralls and too big boots. She glanced at Gladio, who looked even worse than he had in Tenebrae.

“How’d you find us?” Gladio asked, a trace of suspicion in his voice.

“I wasn’t actually looking. I came to pick up Biggs and Wedge. Wedge actually spotted you as we were doing a low pass,” she said. She looked at Ignis, lying limp on the ground. “What the hell happened to you guys? Where’s the prince?”

She saw the way Prompto’s and Gladio’s faces fell and felt her gut twist.

“Can we tell you on the ship? We need to get the hell out of here,” Gladio said, leaning down to pick up Ignis again.

“Sure thing,” Aranea said, raising her hand. The ship lowered closer to the ground, the ramp lip coming to rest on the track. Gladio walked on board, Ignis in his arms. Prompto leapt on after him, followed closely by Aranea.

Gladio froze.

“We found the Regalia,” Aranea said, staring at the wrecked car. “I thought the prince might want it back. Maybe that mechanic can get it fixed up again?”

Gladio set Ignis down on the jump seats. He turned to the car. Prompto stared at it in shock.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding about the Regalia getting wrecked, were you?” Prompto asked, sitting down on the seats across from Ignis.

Gladio shook his head and dropped into the seat next to Prompto. He reached out blindly, and Prompto gasped when Gladio took his hand, clinging to him. Prompto clung just as hard.

“Where do you need to go?” Aranea asked, looking at Gladio.

Gladio bowed his head a moment, thinking. “Hammerhead,” he said. “Can you take us to Hammerhead? I know it’s a long way…”

Aranea raised her hand. “I’ll keep a tab running. Let’s just say you owe me.” She walked to the cockpit and stuck her head in. “Set a course for Lucis. Once we’re there, head for Hammerhead.”

“Sure thing, Lady A,” Wedge said, turning to the controls with a tip of his hat. Aranea walked back out to the cargo bay. She pulled a blanket out from somewhere and dropped it over Ignis. “Okay then, start talking.”

Gladio took a shuddering breath and started talking. Aranea leaned against the Regalia, staring hard at the two men in front of her. Gladio told her everything since they had left her in Tenebrae; Ignis’ dream, his suicide, Noct’s miraculous rescue of him, being separated from the prince, Ignis’ creepy new ability, finding Prompto, fighting daemons, losing Noct…

At the end, his voice tapered off, thick with tears. 

“And we came out of the keep and it was dark,” Prompto said, “which is weird, because I checked the time before we fought all those daemons and it was late morning…”

Aranea looked up. “You don’t know then?”

Gladio squeezed Prompto’s hand. “Know what?”

“It’s dark everywhere,” Aranea said. “A couple hours ago, the sun either never came up, or those parts of the world where it had already come up, it was blotted out by darkness.”

Gladio and Prompto stared at her in horror. “What, what does that mean?” Prompto asked.

“A couple hours?” Gladio asked.

Aranea nodded.

“Noct disappeared a couple of hours ago,” Gladio muttered. “It’s got to be related.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” Aranea said, “as much as anything about this shitshow makes sense.”

Silence fell over the cargo bay. Prompto pulled out his camera and turned it on, looking at the last pictures he had taken. 

Somehow, during that crazy daemon battle before Noctis had run to get to the Crystal, he had managed to get a couple shots of Noctis fighting, of Gladio swinging his blade, of Ignis driving a dagger into a daemon’s throat.

His breath caught when he saw the last one. Ignis cradled Noct’s face in his hands, his expression twisted with sadness. Noct looked at Ignis with such feeling that it broke Prompto’s heart.

No wonder Ignis’ had shattered.

Gladio looked over his shoulder at it. “Make sure you keep that one,” Gladio whispered. Prompto nodded, blinking back tears. 

How long would it hurt?

Gladio tried not to look over at Ignis, who still hadn’t moved. Would Ignis ever recover? Gladio hadn’t thought the man was entirely stable before Noctis had disappeared, and he was one hundred percent certain that he had completely lost it afterwards.

He had to believe what Ardyn had said. Noctis wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be dead.

He remembered how hard it was to summon his sword to attack Ardyn. He frowned. If Noctis was alive, he should have no problem summoning from the Armiger.

He squeezed Prompto’s hand and stood up, walking around the Regalia. Aranea watched him. He didn’t want it to be obvious what he was doing. He held his hand out when he reached the trunk and held out his hand, calling his Greatsword to him.

His heart fell.

Nothing.

He tried again. The sword refused to appear. It wasn’t like it had been on the train. Then, they had been able to feel the Armiger, but hadn’t been able to reach it.

Now, now it was just gone. 

Gladio bowed his head. “Prompto?” he asked hoarsely.

Prompto turned off his camera and looked up. “Yeah?”

“Can you summon your guns?”

Prompto stared at him and held his hand out. “I did when I shot Ardyn…” the pistol refused to appear. Prompto’s eyes widened.

“No. Nononono,” Prompto cried softly. Gladio was suddenly next to him, arms wrapped around Prompto. They were both crying.

“What?” Aranea asked softly. “What does that mean?”

Gladio looked at her, his amber eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“It means that Noctis is dead,” he said hoarsely. He should’ve known. Death was the only way to break the bond he had with Noctis. He had felt it break. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself. He had still been able to summon his weapons, so he hadn’t believed it. He had wanted to believe that son of a bitch Ardyn, but he should’ve known better.

Ardyn couldn’t be trusted.

Aranea bowed her head. The prince had been a good kid. She had thought he had far too much thrust upon him at one time, but she had liked him. She didn’t go daemon fighting with just anyone. 

She glanced at Ignis, still unconscious, and she lifted her head.

“Long live the king,” she whispered, turning away and leaving the men alone.

FFXV

Ignis came to quietly. He lay there, listening to the rumble of an airship. His hands hurt, his neck hurt, and the fire burned quietly behind his eyes. He rolled onto his side, curling up as best he could on the uncomfortable jump seats.

Noctis was gone. 

The words kept running around his mind, chasing each other in a never ending spiral.

Noctis was gone.

He could hear Gladio and Prompto talking softly, but he couldn’t make out their words. He didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything.

Noctis was gone.

When Noctis had bound them together through blood and magic, Ignis hadn’t realized how deep the bond would eventually go. Noctis had been his other half. Even when they weren’t in the same room, it was like Ignis was still attached to him somehow. He had never thought about it. It was normal.

And it was gone. It was like part of him had been torn violently away. There was a gaping wound in his soul, and nothing could heal it. 

Noctis was gone.

FFXV

Aranea walked back into the cargo bay. She glanced at Ignis, curled on his side with the blanket pulled over his head. She could tell by his breathing that he was awake, but he clearly didn’t want to be bothered.

Prompto’s head was resting against Gladio’s shoulder. Gladio opened his eyes as Aranea walked up to them.

“Almost to Hammerhead,” she said. Gladio nodded, closing his eyes again.

The airship halted and began to lower smoothly to the ground. Gladio squeezed Prompto’s shoulders and stood up, stretching. The ramp opened, and he saw Cid and Cindy standing at the base of the ramp.

Cid looked older than he had when he had dropped them off at the train station. 

Cindy stepped forward and looked into the dark bay.

“What in the hell did you do to the Regalia?”

Aranea snickered as she leapt to the ground. Gladio smiled wryly as he and Prompto walked off the airship.

Cindy managed to tear her eyes away from the wrecked car and looked at the two men. They looked worse than the Regalia.

“You boys look like you could use a good meal,” Takka’s voice said. Gladio turned to face him.

He was hungry, but he felt like he shouldn’t be eating yet, like it wasn’t fair to Noctis’ memory to be doing something as normal as eating.

Prompto touched his shoulder. “We have to eat, Gladio. Noct wouldn’t want us to wallow.”

Gladio nodded tightly, glancing back into the cargo bay. His eyes widened. Ignis stood at the top of the ramp, hand out, carefully inching his way down the ramp. Blood still dripped from his hands.

Cindy frowned when she saw Ignis. Papa had told her that Ignis had been injured, but he looked…broken. She saw the blood dripping from his hands and walked up the ramp, taking his wrists in her hands.

“What the hell happened to your hands?” she asked, turning them over. She saw older scars across his knuckles, but his palms were absolutely destroyed. Ribbons of skin hung from his hands.

He didn’t reply. He tried to pull away from her but she tugged his hands back.

“Cindy,” Gladio said softly, “you should probably leave him alone.”

Cindy turned her head and glared at him. “I thought ya’ll were supposed to be his friend! Did you even look at his hands?”

“Cindy, he’s dangerous,” Gladio said, trying not to let his voice carry. 

“Dangerous? This man couldn’t take on a baby chocobo in his state. I cannot believe ya’ll just left him like this.”

Cid watched as she dragged Ignis down the ramp. Ignis followed Cindy placidly, no expression on his face, no sound escaping his lips. She pulled him to the garage, muttering under her breath the entire time. 

She stopped him in front of the sink in the bathroom. 

“I don’t know what they were thinking, leaving your hands in that state. Hold them out.”

Ignis didn’t move. She frowned at him and sighed, reaching for his hands and holding them out. He kept them there, not moving.

She glanced up as Cid walked in behind her. Ignis still hadn’t moved, hadn’t said a word. She held his hands under the water, flinching as the water hit his palms. It had to hurt, and yet he didn’t make a sound.

Cid watched him, a frown on his face.

“Sorry about this,” Cindy muttered, gently working the water into Ignis’ hands. He still didn’t move. She was starting to worry about him.

“Sit,” she said, pushing him onto the toilet. Cid handed her a first aid kit.

“Try to get him to drink a potion,” Cid grunted, “although I doubt he will.”

Cindy opened the kit and pulled a potion out. She popped of the lid and touched Ignis’ face. “Drink,” she said.

He sat silently, and finally opened his mouth. She tilted the potion down his throat. His hands finally stopped bleeding, but he was going to need stitches. 

She pulled out a needle and catgut from the first aid kit. She ripped open the sterile packaging and threaded the needle.

“This is going to hurt,” she said, pinching his skin together.

He still didn’t move. He never made a sound.

FFXV

Gladio and Prompto silently followed Takka into the café. He gestured for them to sit at a booth and brought them both a sandwich. He patted Gladio on the shoulder and left them alone.

They stared at the food. Prompto picked up a fry and ate it. 

“Do you really think Ignis is dangerous?” Prompto finally asked.

Gladio sighed, regretting his earlier words. “I honestly don’t know, Prompto. I think he could be a danger to himself. He hasn’t been…entirely right since Altissia. It’s gotten worse. He’s not all there.”

Prompto nodded slowly, taking a bite of his sandwich. “What are we going to do now?”

Gladio sighed, picking up his own sandwich. “I have no idea.”

FFXV

On the road to Lestallum

Cor snarled and slammed the brakes. The old car locked up, skidding across the road and sliding to a stop just in front of a daemon. He unbuckled his seatbelt and looked hard at Iris and Talcott in the back.

“Stay in the car,” he said, throwing himself out. He pulled his blade off his back and leapt towards the daemon.

They had been driving for nearly a day straight. Lestallum was a scant mile away, but daemons kept popping out of the road and trying to kill them. Monica had left hours before them. She had texted them less than an hour ago that she and the refugees with her had made it safely to Lestallum. If only they could make it there.

Iris and Talcott watched with wide eyes. They had watched Cor fight since they had left Cape Caem. Iris had thought that Gladio and the others had fought well. Cor made them look like children playing with toys, and she guessed that’s really all they were compared to him. 

Talcott cried out in horror. Iris’ eyes snapped up in time to see the Yojimbo stab Cor in the shoulder, lifting him by the blade. 

Iris flung herself out of the car. “Hey, ugly!” she yelled, tossing a Moogle plushie to the side. The daemon dropped Cor and lunged after the Moogle. She hurried to Cor’s side. He was already pushing himself to his feet. She pulled his arm over her shoulder, dragging him back to the car. He collapsed against her.

“Drink,” she said, pushing one of their last potions into his hand. He took it from her, but it slipped from his fingers. His shoulder hurt. He wouldn’t be able to swing the blade for a few days. Iris could see blood running down his front. Cor’s eyes rolled back in his head.

“Look out!” Talcott yelled from the car.

The Yojimbo was back, raising its blade to kill them both. 

Iris shoved Cor sideways, reaching for his fallen weapon. Her fingers wrapped around the hilt. She lifted the blade. It was taller than she was, and heavier than she anticipated. 

She screamed, pouring all of her rage and fear into the scream. She was afraid for Gladio and Noct, for Talcott, and herself. She was angry that they hadn’t taken her with them to Altissia, feeling like nothing more than the annoying little sister.

The Yojimbo turned, raising its blade to pierce her body. She darted under it, driving Cor’s sword into its throat. The daemon stumbled back, disappearing in black flame.

She stood there, panting, Cor’s blade tight in her hand. Talcott stared at her, his mouth hanging open. Iris knelt next to Cor and grabbed the potion from his limp hands, yanking the top off with her teeth and pouring it down his throat.

“Don’t you dare die on me, Marshal. I’ll never live it down if ‘The Immortal’ dies on my watch.”

He stirred, staring at her. “Thanks,” he muttered.

“Yeah, no problem,” Iris said, helping him to his feet. 

“You drive,” Cor said softly, letting himself into the passenger seat. His head fell back against the headrest, eyes half closed. Iris got into the driver’s seat and started the car again, driving carefully the last distance to Lestallum.

FFXV

“Have you called your sister?” Cid asked, staring down at Gladio. Gladio and Prompto were still sitting at the booth, empty plates before them.

“No,” Gladio said. How could he tell Iris that Noct was dead?

“You’d better call her, boy.” Cid turned and started to walk away.

“How’s Ignis?” Gladio asked before Cid hit the door.

Cid paused, turning back to look at him. “Hasn’t said a word. Didn’t even move while Cindy stitched his hands up. She got him to fall asleep. Looked like he needs it.”

Gladio nodded slowly, dropping his eyes. Prompto hunched down in his seat. Cid made him feel like he was maybe ten years old and had just royally messed up. But he was right, he needed to call Iris.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Iris’ number. 

“Iris?”

_“Gladdy? Oh my gods, Gladio!”_

“Iris…” he whispered. He could hear her shouting to Cor. It was good to know that Cor was with her.

_“Where are you? Why haven’t you called? How’s Noctis? Can I talk to him? What happened? Do you know why it’s all dark like this?”_

“Iris, calm down for a sec,” he said. “We’re at Hammerhead. We just got back. There was no service in Gralea…” his voice choked up. He couldn’t tell her over the phone. “Iris, is the Marshal there? I need to speak with him.”

_“Yeah, hang on. Here’s Cor.”_

Gladio closed his eyes, running his hand through his hair.

_“Gladiolus,”_ Cor’s voice was deep, soft, sad. Almost like he already knew.

“Marshal,” Gladio said.

_“Is there any way for you to get to Lestallum? I think we need to talk.”_

“I’m not sure. Ignis isn’t fit to travel,” Gladio said. He looked up as Aranea walked in. “But I think I can get you a ride to Hammerhead.”

_“Do it. I’m sure your sister will insist on coming with me.”_

“It’ll be good to see her,” Gladio said. Would it be any easier to tell her in person? “I’ll call back with details on your ride.” Gladio hung up and stood up, walking to Aranea.

“Can you do me a favor?”

She arched her eyebrow. “I am keeping a tally, you know. You’re going to owe me big. What can I do for you?”

“I need you to fly to Lestallum and pick up Cor, and my sister, and bring them back here.”

Aranea shrugged. “Sure thing. Tomorrow. My guys and I need to sleep and eat.”

“Understood. Thanks, Aranea. For everything.”

Gladio walked back to Prompto and dropped into the booth, fingers pounding against the screen. He sent a quick text to Cor and Iris, telling both of them that Aranea would pick them up in her airship the next day.

“C’mon, Prompto. We need sleep, too.” Prompto nodded and stood up, following Gladio to the caravan. He saw the remains of the Regalia sitting in front of the garage, and Cindy already pulling parts off it, a grimace on her face.

He didn’t know where Ignis was. He stepped into the caravan after Gladio, hoping for some sleep. 

FFXV

Prompto woke up screaming. Gladio’s arms tightened around him. They had fallen asleep hours ago, curled around each other.

“Prompto, it’s okay! I’m here,” Gladio said.

Prompto cried into his shoulder. Gladio stroked the back of his head. 

“What happened?” Gladio asked.

Prompto sniffed. “I dreamed I was back there. That Ignis was torturing me again. That he just stood there and laughed and cut pieces from me.”

Gladio held him until he fell back asleep.

FFXV

The next day, it was dark as it had been. Gladio had been hoping that he would wake up and it would all be a dream. Noct would be alive, the sun would be up, and Ignis would be back to his normal self.

None of that happened. Noct was still dead, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and Ignis was wandering aimlessly around Hammerhead, not speaking. He ate if someone put something in front of him, but it was like he wasn’t even there. There was just a shell where Ignis used to be.

Gladio looked up as Aranea’s airship descended again. The ramp dropped, and Iris ran out, throwing herself into his arms.

He held her tightly, tears pricking his eyes. She leaned back from him, eyes widening when she saw tears running down his face.

“Gladdy?” she whispered. He just hugged her. 

Cor stepped off the airship, nodding his thanks to Aranea. He rubbed his shoulder. It was still sore. His eyes fell on Prompto and Gladio. They looked exhausted and far thinner than they had been when they had left Cape Caem. Cid had told him some of what happened in Altissia, but seeing the results with his own eyes was sobering.

He didn’t see Ignis.

“We need to sit down and talk,” Cor said, putting his hand on Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto smiled at him, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Gladio finally let go of Iris and led them to Takka’s. Cid was already there, and Cor walked over to greet him. They all sat down.

“Where’s Ignis?” Cor asked. He felt like Ignis would give the best account of what had happened. Gladio and Prompto glanced at each other.

“He’s…not all there, Marshal,” Prompto said softly.

“He’s snapped,” Gladio said gruffly, looking at his hands. “Hasn’t said a word since-“

“Since what?” Iris asked. 

Gladio sighed. Prompto leaned against him, trying not to cry again. Iris’ eyes darted between them.

“Where’s Noct?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“He’s gone,” Prompto whispered, closing his eyes. 

Iris let out a sob, covering her face with her hands. Cor bowed his head.

He had failed. He had failed Regis. He was supposed to guide Noctis from afar, but this wasn’t supposed to have happened. Noctis’ death was supposed to have brought light back to the world, not shroud it in eternal darkness.

His eyes came up as Cindy walked in, dragging Ignis behind her. His eyes widened when he saw Ignis. Ignis had always been clean cut, incredibly smart, absolutely deadly with a dagger. This broken man before him was none of those things. 

He had known that Ignis had lost his sight in Altissia, but the scars were shocking. He watched as Cindy pushed him into a chair, slamming a plate of finger food down in front of him.

“Eat. Don’t wander until you’re done,” she said, glancing up at the group. Cor’s eyes darted back to Gladio and Prompto. He frowned when he noticed Prompto shrinking against Gladio’s side, Gladio shifting to push Prompto farther away from Ignis. Something had happened between the three of them, he was sure of it.

Ignis mechanically ate the food in front of him. His sightless eye stared straight ahead. If he heard the others, he gave no sign of it.

Cindy dropped into a chair next to Iris with a sigh. 

“That is not a well man,” Cor muttered, staring at Ignis.

Gladio snorted. “Sorry, Marshal, tell us something we don’t know.”

Cor turned and looked at Gladio with narrowed eyes. “Start in Altissia. Tell me everything.”

FFXV

Ignis sat on the stool at the bar, fingers trembling as he ate the food set in front of him. He wasn’t sure what the point was. Why should he eat? He just wanted to fade away, disappear.

Die. 

He wanted to die.

It was too much effort. It was so hard to just raise his hand to his mouth. He felt the stitches in his palm pull, sending tiny lightning bolts of pain through his arm.

He didn’t care. Pain was his only companion.

He could hear the others talking. He could hear Gladio telling everyone what a failure Ignis was, a blind, pitiful man who had given into his rage.

They didn’t know the half of it. How would they react if they knew the truth about him? There was a part of him that wanted to stand up and tell them; tell them how he had drank down the Darkness of a daemon and liked it, tell them how much he liked taking control of those MTs.

But it was too much effort.

He listened to Gladio tell them about Zegnautus Keep, and he remembered Noctis in the conference room; his hot mouth around his cock, the heat of their bodies sliding against each other.

He gave a minute shake of his head. No, thinking of Noct made the pain rage. It was better to think of nothing. If he thought of nothing, he could not be hurt. If he let his mind stay blank, only doing what Cindy told him to do, he didn’t have to think. He didn’t have to remember. 

He was nothing, and it was better this way.

FFXV

Two weeks passed. Every night found Prompto screaming from dreams of Ignis torturing him. Iris watched as Gladio held the smaller man, rocking back and forth. She had tried to talk to Ignis, but he had simply walked away from her in the middle of a sentence. Gladio had told her that Ignis and Noctis had been lovers, and it hurt to see Ignis so broken. He had been so funny and entertaining when she had traveled with them. It had been his idea to get her a chocobo.

She missed Noctis.

Cindy had stripped the Regalia down to nothing. She was bound and determined to fix the car, come hell or high water.

Cor talked with Gladio and Prompto and Cid, trying to come up with some kind of plan. People were heading for Lestallum and other outposts, anywhere with lights.

Cid said that the lights were going to fail in some of those outposts. Lestallum would have to be fortified against the Darkness.

Ignis moved through Hammerhead like a ghost.

Prompto sat on the edge of his bed, shaking. He didn’t want to sleep. It was so hard. Every time he saw Ignis wander around, it brought back horrible memories. Ignis could just appear out of nowhere, drifting by, and it freaked Prompto out every damn time.

Gladio woke up and saw Prompto sitting there, shoulders hunched. He sat up.

“I think we should go to Lestallum,” Gladio said softly. Prompto turned and looked at him.

“What?”

“When Aranea takes Cor and Iris back tomorrow, I think we should go with them.”

Prompto swallowed. Gladio reached for his hand, threading their fingers together. “What about Ignis?”

Gladio sighed. “I don’t think Lestallum is a good idea for him. I’ll talk to Cindy in a bit, see if he can stay here. Plus…I don’t think you should be around him right now, Prompto. Not until you’ve healed more.”

Prompto’s eyes welled with tears. Gladio tugged on his hand, pulling Prompto into his arms. 

“I’m not saying you’re weak, but you went through a hell of an ordeal, and quite frankly, you’re not going to be able to move past it with Ignis around. I told you I’d stick with you afterwards, didn’t I?”

Prompto nodded, his hair tickling Gladio’s chin. Gladio’s arms tightened around him.

“I feel bad for Ignis, but there’s nothing I can do for him,” Gladio said softly, staring at the ceiling. “I can’t watch him fade to nothing.”

Prompto lifted his head from Gladio’s shoulder and looked at his face. He couldn’t believe Gladio was still there, that he hadn’t left. He couldn’t believe how strong Gladio was. Prompto felt like he was seconds away from bursting into tears at the smallest provocation.

“Gladio?” Prompto whispered, staring at him.

“Hmmm?”

Prompto lowered his head and brushed his lips across Gladio’s. It was just the gentlest of touches, a feather across his lips.

Prompto pulled back and looked at him. Even in the dark, Gladio could see how red Prompto’s face was.

“Sorry,” Prompto squeaked, trying to get away from Gladio. Gladio’s arms tightened around him, pulling him flush to his chest. Gladio cupped his cheek with one hand and pulled Prompto’s face back down to his.

Prompto sighed against his mouth, for once feeling like the darkness of the world couldn’t touch him.

There was one small bright spot in the hell their lives had become.

FFXV

“Prompto and I are going to Lestallum,” Gladio said. 

Cindy dropped the towel in her hands and stood up, staring at him. 

“What about Ignis?”

Gladio sighed. “Prompto needs time to heal from what was done to him in Gralea.”

“And Ignis doesn’t?” Cindy asked.

Gladio closed his eyes. “He does, gods know he does, but…”

Cindy raised her hand. “It’s fine,” she said. “Ignis is welcome to stay here. I doubt he’d do well in Lestallum anyway.”

Gladio’s shoulders slumped. “Thanks, Cindy.”

She looked up at him. “You going to tell him or just leave?”

“I’m going to tell him,” Gladio said.

Cindy held her hand out to him. Gladio shook it. “Will you keep me updated on Ignis?”

Cindy nodded, turning back to the engine in front of her. “Will do.”

Gladio walked out of the garage. He felt heavy, and his stomach roiled the closer he got to Takka’s. He could see Ignis sitting alone at one of the booths, hands folded on the table. He rarely sat still. Cindy must’ve told him to sit there for a while. 

Prompto joined him. “Bags are on the ship. Aranea said to hurry it up, she wants to get airborne.”

Gladio nodded, gently squeezing Prompto’s hand and smiling at the flush that rose in Prompto’s cheeks. 

“Just gotta tell Ignis,” he said. Prompto nodded, following him into Takka’s.

He walked up to Ignis. The other man gave no sign that he even knew Gladio and Prompto were there.

“Prompto and I are going to Lestallum with Cor and Iris. We’re leaving now.”

Ignis didn’t move, even when Gladio put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Ignis,” Gladio whispered. “I’m sorry I can’t help you.” He squeezed Ignis’ shoulder. “Goodbye.”

Gladio turned and walked away. Prompto stood there for a second, staring at Ignis. His heart thundered in his chest.

“Um…bye, Ignis,” Prompto said, scurrying out after Gladio. They climbed on board the airship, waving to Cindy and Cid.

The ship lifted away and shot into the dark sky.

No one was in the diner when Ignis lifted his head, tears rolling down his face. His mouth opened. 

“Goodbye.”


	24. Now-The Dark Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis forgets, and later remembers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know where I need to get Ignis, it's just taking a wee bit longer to get him there than I anticipated. Anyway, thanks again for all the wonderful comments on the last chapter. It was definitely a depressing one. This one...is different. No spoilers here, but I'm gonna have to add some crazy ass tags in the next few chapters.  
> Please continue to let me know what ya'll think. It makes me smile and is definitely helping me get through the days right now.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- The Dark Lake

Ignis didn’t know how much time had passed. He didn’t know much of anything, to be perfectly honest. He ate when Cindy told him to eat, slept when she told him to sleep, showered when she shoved him bodily into the shower.

He thought his sleep might have been plagued by dreams and nightmares, but he didn’t remember them. Sometimes, he thought someone was annoyed with him in his dreams, but whenever he tried to concentrate on that feeling, it skittered away from him. 

He couldn’t remember.

Some days, he didn’t remember his name.

It was better that way. 

He was nobody.

He missed someone, like a hole in his heart, but he couldn’t remember who he was supposed to be missing.

He had vague recollections of blue eyes, black hair, soft skin, warm lips. 

If he tried to recall the person, pain flared behind his eyes, driving him to his knees. 

It was better if he didn’t remember.

His mind had become a still lake. Nothing stirred the waters. He simply was.

He found a dagger and secreted it in his boot. He liked the feel of it in his hands, and he found himself slicing his own skin when the pain got too bad. It made him feel more real. He wasn’t sure if he liked that feeling. He’d rather not remember, but he couldn’t seem to stop cutting.

It was better if he didn’t remember.

Some days, he thought he heard a voice whispering to him, calling to him.

He ignored it.

He was nobody. 

It was better that way.

FFXV

Cindy knew exactly how much time had passed since Prompto and Gladio had left for Lestallum.

It had been nearly ten months. Ten months, and they hadn’t come back to see how Ignis was doing.

Of course, she couldn’t really say that there had been a change in Ignis. He wandered around Hammerhead aimlessly, fingers grazing whatever was in front of him. He never wore glasses, and didn’t use the cane.

He would eat when she corralled him and told him to, sleep when she forced him to sleep, shower when she made him shower. She hadn’t heard him say a word since he had arrived, but he seemed to like listening to her. She just wasn’t sure if he actually understood anything she said. He never smiled.

Cindy had found him more than once against the fence, fingers curled through the links, facing the Crown City, like he was waiting for something, or someone.

She had been horrified to discover him cutting himself, sliding a dagger across his thighs, back, arms. He didn’t do it often, maybe once a month. She had tried to take the blade away from him, but it was the one time he had fought her, falling into a panic when she had taken it away.

She let him keep it.

She and Papa had made a bed for Ignis in the small office in the garage. She didn’t want him traversing the stairs that led to their apartments, afraid he would fall and break his damn neck.

His hair was growing out, and she combed it every day. He generally didn’t sit still long enough for her to style it; he seemed to be more at peace if he was moving. He did stay still long enough for her to shave his face. He had grown a beard early in his stay, and hadn’t stopped scratching at it. He apparently hated it, so she made sure it never grew back.

It hadn’t taken long for Hammerhead to become one of the key hunter outposts left. Daemons had overtaken many of the smaller gas stations and outposts all over. Longwythe had gone dark a month ago. Galdin Quay was still holding on, but barely. She didn’t expect it to last the year. 

She knew that Ignis freaked the hunters out, especially ones that were new to Hammerhead. He would just appear out of nowhere, drifting through groups of people, touching cars, weapons, boxes.

He never touched the people though. Cindy was the only one he would allow to touch him. She didn’t know how he knew, but the one time one of the hunters tried to lead Ignis away, he had snarled and fought.

Cindy had had to drag him away from new curiosities in Hammerhead more than once. He always followed her placidly. She usually planted him in the corner of the garage while she worked, keeping up a running commentary on what she was doing. 

He never responded, but he would sit there until she was finished for the day.

She knew what the hunters called him; ‘Miss Cindy’s pet lunatic.’ Sometimes, they even called him that to his face. 

He never responded to them. He just seemed to stare through them, his one stone grey eye focusing on something none of them could see.

It had grown steadily colder as the months passed. Cindy hadn’t thought she’d ever miss the desert heat, but she did. She hated the long pants and shirts she had to wear now. One of the first things Cid had her do after Prompto and Gladio had left was build a greenhouse.

Ignis spent a lot of time in there. No one bothered him there, and he didn’t bother anyone. Takka spent time in the greenhouse as well, talking softly to Ignis. After the first few times, Ignis stopped leaving when Takka joined him.

Cindy took it as a good sign.

She sent a weekly text to Gladio. It always read the same thing.

No change.

FFXV

“I want to be a hunter,” Iris said, glaring at her brother.

“Absolutely not,” Gladio said, sharpening the sword on his lap. Prompto stood up and walked out of the room. He was not going to listen to them argue.

Again.

“I’m not some fragile glass doll, Gladio! Have you looked around? The world has gone to shit, and you can’t keep me here! I want to help!”

Gladio looked up at her, clenching his jaw. They’d been having this argument since they had come back to Lestallum nearly ten months ago. “There’s too much that can go wrong out there, Iris. It’s not safe!”

“Nothing is safe anymore!” Iris cried, crossing her arms. 

Prompto walked out into the common room, dropping onto the couch next to Cor. 

“They at it again?” Cor asked.

“Yeah. They’re both too damn stubborn for their own good. If I thought it’d do any good, I’d drive them outside the city and leave them there.”

Cor smiled wryly. Cor and Monica had managed to get the entire upper floor of the Leville hotel. They had turned it into a base of sorts, running hunts and information from the former hotel.

More and more refugees trickled in every day. Lestallum was packed. The power plant gave it all the power it needed, and daemons couldn’t get near it due to the lights. A few occasionally got inside the plant, which was a pain in the ass, but they hadn’t managed to knock the power out yet. The city had expanded outwards, and even the refugee camps were full to bursting. 

Prompto dropped his head back on the couch and sighed. Gladio had been incredibly overprotective since they had gotten to Lestallum. He barely let Prompto out of his sight, and while Prompto was pretty sure he loved him, he wanted to wring his neck at the same time.

It was almost like Gladio didn’t think he or Iris were strong enough for this new world.

The last month had been particularly bad. Gladio had gotten worse, more and more overprotective, almost smothering. Prompto thought he knew why.

Noct’s birthday was in a week.

Prompto still had a hard time believing how long his best friend had been dead. Gladio never talked about him; even when Prompto needed to. Iris burst into tears whenever he tried to talk to her about Noct.

He wanted to talk about him, because he didn’t want to forget him. One of the first things he had done when they got to Lestallum was get a few scrapbooks. He had spent weeks carefully putting every photo he had taken during the trip in order.

That was when he realized that Gladio wouldn’t talk about Noctis. He would simply look away, jaw clenched, when Prompto tried.

It hurt.

They had fought about it; a screaming, throwing things, fight. Cor had stormed in, dragging them apart and sending Gladio on a hunt with a group of inexperienced hunters. Prompto sat back down in front of his photos, trying not to cry.

The next day, Cor sat down and told him about one of the times he had caught Ignis and Noctis sneaking out of the Citadel. Prompto stared at him, mouth open, and then told him about meeting Noctis for real in high school.

They traded stories of the prince. Cor understood Prompto’s need to discuss his friend. Sometimes, Cor even told him about his own trip with King Regis, Cid, and Weskham. 

Gladio had come back, and apologized to Prompto. Prompto nodded, trying not to cry as Gladio held him.

Prompto’s nightmares had decreased in frequency. Sometimes, he could go a full week without being back at the keep, Ignis slicing into his body. Other nights, every time he fell asleep he was back there.

They never mentioned Ignis. Prompto knew that Gladio got weekly updates from Cindy on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Looking at the pictures of the trip hurt; sometimes, staring at Ignis’ perfect face in the photos triggered full on panic attacks.

The first time had been when Gladio was gone on another hunt. Iris had found him curled under the table, holding his knees and crying, taking huge, gulping breaths. She had gotten Cor, and the Marshal had pulled him out from under the table and sat with him until he calmed down. 

Time passed, and Gladio and Prompto skirted the edges of a relationship. Sometimes, Prompto thought that Iris was right; Gladio treated them both like glass dolls.

“I’ve about had it with them,” Cor muttered, standing up and pulling Prompto out of his thoughts. “Come on, time to knock some sense into his thick skull.”

Prompto stood up and followed Cor back into his and Gladio’s room. Gladio and Iris were standing face to face, shouting at each other.

Cor leaned against the wall, watching. He waited for one of them to acknowledge him, but they were so involved in their heated argument that neither noticed him.

“If he won’t train you, I will,” Cor said, his voice cutting across the argument. 

Gladio and Iris both spun to face him; Gladio looked mutinous, Iris looked absolutely delighted.

“Marshal-“ Gladio started. Cor held up a hand, silencing him.

“Iris saved my ass on the way to Lestallum, did you know that?” 

Gladio’s eyes widened. Prompto smiled wryly; Iris had told him this story, but Gladio had never given her the chance.

“We had been on the road for nearly 24 hours,” Cor said, “just trying to get to Lestallum from Cape Caem. Talcott and Iris were in the back. Every few miles, we were attacked by daemons, and even I get tired. About a mile outside of Lestallum, we were attacked by a Yojimbo.”

Cor reached up and pulled his shirt aside, showing Gladio the scar from Yojimbo’s blade. “It skewered me. Iris threw a Moogle Plush to distract it, dragged me back to the car, and then picked up my sword and killed it. She’s not weak, Gladiolus, and we need all the help we can get.”

Gladio turned away, fists clenched at his sides. Cor glanced at Prompto and Iris.

“Can you two give us a minute?”

“Sure thing, Marshal,” Iris said. Prompto nodded and followed her from the room.

Cor stepped right up in Gladio’s face, poking him in the chest. Gladio glared at him.

“You need to stop blaming yourself. You’re hurting Prompto, you’re hurting Iris, and you’re hurting yourself. Believe me, I understand about blaming yourself, but you need to stop taking it out on everyone else.”

“I was Noct’s shield and I failed him.”

“You were never going to be able to take that hit for him!” Cor snapped. “Get it through your head. We’ve already lost Ignis, because that boy is so far around the bend I doubt he’ll ever find his way home. You have two people here who love you, and you keep pushing them away! How long has it been since you’ve kissed Prompto?”

Gladio’s cheeks flushed. He stared at Cor, then dropped his eyes. He hadn’t realized Cor knew about his relationship with Prompto.

“Prompto has spent a lot of time talking with me, because you won’t,” Cor said softly. “He needs to talk about Noctis. He doesn’t want to forget him.”

“Neither do I!” Gladio burst out.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Cor said. “You never look at Prompto’s photos, and I remember the fight you two got in.”

Gladio didn’t say anything. He missed Noctis. He hadn’t realized how much he would miss him. Noct’s birthday was in a week, and it hurt to know that he was never going to turn 21. 

“I know you think you’re protecting Prompto and Iris both, but you can’t lock them in a tower because you believe you failed Noctis. Letting them fight honors the king, Gladiolus. Noctis wouldn’t want them to live their lives afraid all the time.”

“I know,” Gladio whispered. “I’m afraid to lose them too. I dream that they go out on hunts and don’t come back, I dream that Prompto dies and leaves me. I don’t want to lose anyone else, Marshal. Ignis…Ignis is almost harder to bear than Noctis. Death may be a mercy for Ignis.”

“We don’t get to make that decision for Ignis,” Cor said, “and thinking you can is just as bad as not letting Prompto or Iris hunt. I will train her. It’s not anyone who can pick up my sword and kill a daemon with it.”

Gladio smiled sadly. “Did she really do that?”

“Yes. Talcott and I are both here because of her. I’m going to start training Talcott too. I could use your help training them and other hunters, Gladio.”

Gladio nodded. “I just…I miss him. I miss Ignis, too.”

“I know,” Cor said softly, putting his hand on Gladio’s shoulder.

There was a knock on the door. Both men looked up to see Prompto and Iris. Prompto scratched his head. 

“So, Iris and I were just talking, and we think we should do something to celebrate Noct’s birthday.”

Iris nodded, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that she had been crying again. 

Gladio’s immediate reaction was to say no and storm off. Thinking about Noctis hurt. He opened his mouth and Cor squeezed his shoulder.

“That sounds like a great idea, Prompto,” Gladio finally said softly. Prompto’s face lit up in a smile. Gladio couldn’t help but smile back.

He had been pushing Prompto away. It was time to stop. He had promised to be there for Prompto back in Gralea, and he realized that he had broken that promise in a way.

He walked forward and cupped Prompto’s face. Prompto’s eyes went wide and Gladio could feel his cheeks heat beneath his fingers. 

“I’m so sorry, Prompto,” Gladio said, dropping his mouth to Prompto’s and kissing him gently.

Iris squealed and ran from the room. She so didn’t want to watch her big brother and Prompto make out. Cor smiled wryly and followed her out.

Neither Prompto nor Gladio noticed.

FFXV

Ignis wandered out of the greenhouse, munching idly on a raw carrot. There was something about carrots, but he wasn’t sure what. Someone close to him hadn’t liked them, but that was all he could remember. 

The cold air nipped at him. His feet drew him forward. He knew Hammerhead quite well by now, and could make his way around with no problem.

His fingers traced the edges of the door into Takka’s and he walked in. The few people he was aware of in the café went quiet when he walked in.

That didn’t bother him. He was used to it.

Some of the booths were taken up with weapons and other hunter paraphernalia. He walked past the booths, his fingers grazing the wall. His hand met something glossy, with many pages. A calendar?

He fingered the pages for a moment. He liked the texture; it was completely different than many of the things in Hammerhead.

“You wanna know what day it is, crazy?” one of the hunters asked, laughing. His voice was familiar; one of the hunters who frequented Hammerhead then. Ignis didn’t know his name.

Ignis tilted his head. It didn’t matter what day it was. Each day was exactly the same; he merely existed, moving through space. Sometimes listening to Cindy work, sometimes following Cid around, much of the time hiding in the greenhouse. He liked the greenhouse. It was warm in there. 

“August 30th, can you believe it?” the same hunter said, “Ten months since the damn sun went away and the daemons took over everything.”

Ignis’ heart froze in his chest. 

August 30th. There was something important about that date. The sun was gone? Had he known that? 

Something churned beneath the still lake that his mind had become, roiling and breaking the surface.

His fingers clenched around the calendar. His breath came in rapid gasps. His eyes burned.

Noctis.

Oh gods, he remembered.

He remembered three year old Noctis, grabbing his hand in the back seat of the Regalia. He remembered seven year old Noctis, barely wincing as they cut their thumbs and bound themselves together. He remembered Noctis after the Marilith attack, sad, sullen, withdrawn. He remembered stealing the keys to the king’s car in an attempt to cheer up his friend. He remembered going to Noctis’ graduation, both high school and college, sitting right next to the king and applauding when his name was read. He remembered the fight with Noctis, making up over Cup Noodles. He remembered leaving the city, driving the Regalia, with Noctis, Gladio, and Prompto. He remembered Noctis kissing him, and making love to Noctis. He remembered Altissia, and the horror that his life descended to after they left the city. He remembered Cartanica, and wanting to kill Gladio. He remembered Ardyn, and the feel of Ardyn’s hands and lips on his. He remembered dying (gods, why couldn’t he have just stayed dead?) and he remembered Zegnautus Keep. He remembered torturing Prompto, even though it hadn’t really been him, and he remembered Prompto being terrified of him. He remembered Ardyn teaching him to take the Darkness from the daemons, and how _good_ it had felt. He remembered the hurried lovemaking with Noctis, and he remembered Noctis being taken from him. 

He remembered breaking.

The calendar crumpled in his hands, yanked from the wall. His knees buckled, and he thought he might have been screaming.

He slipped beneath the waves in his mind, and he knew no more.

FFXV

The hunters laughed quietly as Ignis walked into Takka’s. Ignis was one crazy son of a bitch. They had never heard him say a word, and never could get used to his silent wanderings. Jones, one of the hunters, watched as Ignis stopped and fingered the pin-up girl calendar Cid had put up a few months ago.

He stood up with a grin at the others and strolled over to Ignis. “You wanna know what day it is, crazy?” 

Ignis just tilted his head, still running his fingers over the calendar.

Jones snorted. Such a fucking lunatic. Rumor had it that this man used to be a member of the crownsguard and advisor to the prince, but Jones had a hard time believing that the king would let anyone so unstable near the precious prince. Maybe this crazy bastard had been the one to kill the king.

“August 30th,” Jones said, “can you believe it? Ten months since the damn sun went away and the daemons took over everything.”

He watched as Ignis froze, fingers clenching the calendar. Jones took a step back as Ignis’ face went completely white, his scars standing out violently over his eye. Ignis’ knees buckled and he yanked the calendar from the wall.

He started screaming. 

At first, it was a low, hoarse yell, gaining in strength.

“I’m going to get Cindy!” one of the younger hunters yelled, charging out the door. 

Ignis’ scream suddenly cut off, and he slumped sideways, silent.

Jones went to kneel down next to him when Cindy ran in, followed closely by Cid and Takka. 

“What happened?” she asked, kneeling next to Ignis and pressing her fingers against his neck. He still had a pulse.

“He was just touching the calendar, so I told him what day it was,” Jones muttered, refusing to look at Cindy or Cid.

“Damn fool boy,” Cid growled.

“It’s just a date! How the hell was I supposed to know your damn pet lunatic would fly off the handle?” Jones snapped.

“It’s the prince’s birthday, you fucktard,” Cindy snapped. Ignis hadn’t moved. She looked up at Takka. “Help me get him to his bed. And ya’ll, go find a hunt to go on. Just, get out of Hammerhead for a couple days, ya hear?”

The young hunter who had run for Cindy knelt next to her. “I’ll help carry him,” he said grimly.

“Which one are you?” Cindy asked. He hadn’t come with a car; she didn’t particularly care.

“Frankie, ma’am,” he said, lifting Ignis across his shoulders. Cindy stood up and he followed her to the garage. Cid followed them slowly, and Takka stayed behind to herd the rest of the hunters out of Hammerhead.

No one dared to gainsay Cindy. If she said get out, they would get out. Quickly.

Frankie set Ignis down on his small bed. “Do you need anything else, Miss Cindy?” Frankie was a little bit star struck with Cindy.

She shook her head. “Nope. You can stay in Hammerhead, if you want. It’s the other idiots that need to leave.”

“Yes, Miss Cindy,” Frankie said, walking out of the garage, nodding at Cid as they passed.

Cindy pressed her fingers against Ignis’ forehead. Sweat beaded on his brow, and she could see his eyes darting beneath his eyelids.

“Damn them,” she muttered. She had debated telling Ignis that it was Noct’s birthday, but had decided not to. Now, she wished she had. Maybe it would’ve been better coming from her.

Somehow, she didn’t think anything would make it easier for Ignis. Tears leaked from his eyes, rolling down his narrow cheeks.

Cid lowered himself into the office chair and looked at Ignis. He wondered if Ignis would be able to come back from this. The boy had been a damn lunatic, but he hadn’t hurt anyone. He seemed content to follow him and Cindy around, silent. It was hard to look at him and remember the man he had been before, the first time he had met the prince and his escorts.

It had taken a month for Ignis’ hands to heal after he had first arrived back at Hammerhead. The fool boy had kept picking at the stitches, until Cindy finally found a pair of gloves to cover them. His palms were covered with thick, silver scars.

Cid thought about the other two boys from time to time. He heard from Cor occasionally, but hadn’t had any contact with them personally. He knew Cindy updated Gladiolus on Ignis’ condition, but beyond that, they didn’t have any contact either.

It bothered him that they never came to check on Ignis. When they left for Altissia, he had told Noctis that they were his brothers. He hadn’t just meant it for the king, but for all of them. He always regretted that he had never spoken to Reggie after they had the falling out. Reggie was his brother and he had turned his back on him.

He didn’t want Gladio and Prompto to regret that same thing one day.

Cindy pulled off Ignis’ boots and set them by the bed, covering him in a blanket. 

Ignis showed no signs of waking.

FFXV

_Ignis stared at his hands. He could see, and wasn’t that strange? He turned his hands over. Shouldn’t he have scars across his palms? He thought he’d had stitches._

_“About fucking time,” a voice said behind him. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get through to you?”_

_Ignis turned, lowering his hands. A man stood there, wearing an extravagant jacket, pinstripe pants, and a fedora. He looked familiar. Ignis tilted his head. The man had chin length dark, auburn hair and light hazel eyes. Stubble covered his cheeks. He looked quite perturbed._

_“Ignis?” the man asked._

_“Do I know you?” Ignis asked._

_The man threw his hands in the air. “Great. You’ve gone completely mad in your dreams as well. I guess introductions are in order. Again.”_

_He stalked forward. Ignis watched him interestedly. He felt like he really should know this man._

_“My name is Ardyn. You’re Ignis.”_

_“Am I?”_

_“Oh, for the love of-yes. Your name is Ignis Scientia. You are the advisor to Noctis Lucis Caelum, King of Light, blessed of the stars. Ringing any bells?”_

_Ardyn watched the change flow over Ignis’ face. The half vacant, scar free, eyes filled with rage and pain. His fists clenched._

_Ignis’ hand shot out, wrapping in Ardyn’s hair. He yanked Ardyn’s head back, snarling in his face._

_“You did this!” Ignis roared._

_Ardyn smiled, his head stinging. “Yes, I did.”_

_“You destroyed everything!”_

_Ardyn took a step forward, ripping his hair from Ignis’ hands. He shoved Ignis back against a wall, pressing his body against Ignis’._

_Ignis swallowed hard._

_“It must have been so lonely for you, Ignis,” Ardyn whispered. “Gladio and Prompto, gone. Noct, gone. No wonder you withdrew into yourself. Alone and ridiculed, reviled by the hunters around you.”_

_Ignis’ eyes dropped. Memories of the past ten months rushed through his mind. He felt somewhat disgusted with himself._

_Noctis would’ve hated the thought of what Ignis had become, Ignis was sure of it._

_He was brought out of his thoughts by Ardyn’s fingers on his mouth. His eyes snapped to Ardyn’s. There was a wicked little smile on his lips._

_“I know what it is to be lonely, Ignis. I know what it is to be reviled by everyone around you, to have those you counted as friends turn against you and leave you standing, calling their names. I have been there, Ignis.”_

_“Who turned against you?” Ignis asked._

_“Everyone. They were jealous of my power, scared of what I could do.”_

_Ignis swallowed. He remembered what he had done to that daemon in the keep, how good it had felt to have that sweet Darkness slither down his throat._

_Ardyn watched him, silent, fingers resting on Ignis’ face._

_Ignis wanted to do it again. Whatever he had done, it had chased the pain away._

_“Would it work again?” Ignis asked._

_Ardyn smiled. “Oh yes. Quite addicting, isn’t it? Think of how useful you could be in this new world. You alone could walk through the Darkness and remain untouched. Imagine what you could do with the power of the daemons at your call.”_

_Ignis was silent. A small part of him screamed not to do it, that Noctis wouldn’t want him to do it._

_Noctis was gone. Prompto was gone. Gladio was gone._

_Ardyn was here. Ardyn understood him. Ardyn was touching him, not recoiling at his skin._

_He had missed being touched._

_He could fight again. He could hunt. He could be useful; to Cindy, to Cid, to the world. He could show them that he wasn’t just Cindy’s pet lunatic._

_Ardyn smiled, fisting his hand in Ignis’ hair. He yanked Ignis’ head down, pressing his lips hard against Ignis’._

_Ignis went still._

_He loved Noctis._

_Noctis was gone._

_He loved Noctis._

_Noctis was gone, and he wasn’t coming back._

_Ignis leaned into the kiss. Ardyn wrenched his head back by the hair, tearing a gasp from Ignis’ lips. Ardyn sank his teeth into Ignis’ neck._

_Ignis jerked back. “Fuck, that hurt!”_

_Ardyn licked his lips. “Didn’t it though? I thought you’d like a little pain, Ignis. You’ve become so inured to it.”_

_Ignis frowned at him. He wasn’t wrong. It had felt good._

_“We’re going to have so much fun together, Ignis. Think of what we could do together.”_

_Ignis’ hand slowly came up to Ardyn’s face. He ran his thumb over Ardyn’s stubble. He was so different from Noctis (no, he wouldn’t think of Noctis here. Noctis was gone.)_

_“You don’t seem to know what you want, Ignis,” Ardyn said softly, his voice damn near teasing._

_“I want you to hurt,” Ignis said, running his fingers through Ardyn’s hair. It was softer than it looked. He knocked that stupid hat off his head._

_“Well, that’s a start.”_

_Ignis wrapped his fingers in Ardyn’s hair and yanked, hard. Ardyn gasped, his head back, baring his throat to Ignis. He chuckled. This was going so well._

_Ignis remembered when Ardyn had kissed him right after Noctis had vanished into the Crystal. He remembered the wine sweet taste of Darkness on his lips, on his tongue. He wanted it again._

_He slammed his lips against Ardyn’s, sinking his teeth into his lips until he tasted blood. Ardyn’s arms went around him, laughter bubbling up from his throat into Ignis’ mouth. Ignis lapped at the blood in Ardyn’s mouth._

_It tasted of Darkness, of death, of desire._

_He felt Ardyn’s hands on his chest, unbuttoning his shirt._

_The small voice in his head, the one that loved Noctis, screamed at him to stop. Ignis brushed it away. Noctis was gone._

_He wanted this._

_He needed this._

_He felt Ardyn’s nails drag over his stomach, hard enough to draw blood. He pulled back slightly, staring at Ardyn._

_Darkness curled off the chancellor like smoke. His eyes were a strange gold, and Ignis could see more Darkness pulsing beneath his skin._

_He bit Ardyn’s lip again, drawing more blood to the surface. It was black, and it was the most wonderful thing Ignis had ever tasted._

_He would never be able to get enough of it._

_Ardyn smiled into Ignis’ mouth, hands working at his belt._

_Ignis growled against Ardyn’s lips._

_He remembered how his mind had become a stagnant lake, and he smiled._

_Ignis never noticed his own smoky Darkness, curling off his body and mingling with the Darkness roiling from Ardyn._

_Noctis was gone._

_Ardyn was here._

_Nothing else mattered._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I couldn't bring myself to write full on Ardyn x Ignis sex without finding out what people thought about it. It's one thing in dreams, like Ignis had at the end, but there is a very real possibility that it will turn into rape/Non-con in a chapter or two. They're not going to have a healthy relationship. They can't have a healthy relationship. So, because I don't want anyone to stop reading this, I figured I can do a couple of things.  
> I can use the good old 'fade to black' method of sex between them.  
> I can write it and surround it by **FFXV** to differentiate it so people can skip it if they want.  
>  I can write it and leave it and you read at your own risk. 
> 
> I lean towards option two or three, tbh. If you've read this story this far, you've probably realized that things have been leading this direction for a while. Surprised the hell out of me, too, honestly. This is still primarily an IGNOCT story, and will end as one, so never fear on that matter.
> 
> Please tell me what you think, mostly of the chapter, but also about Ardnis sex.   
> As always, thanks for reading!


	25. Now-The Dual Life of Ignis Scientia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis lives two lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **##FFXV##** is bracketed around the Ardnis sex. The pound signs were added to make it slightly more obvious. I wasn't super happy with the beginning of this chapter, but I like the second half. This is a long one, and covers three years of time. It focuses entirely on Ignis.  
>  Next chapter will be a bit lighter, focusing on Prompto and Gladio for all you Promptio fans. I updated the tags on this story. Sigh. For those that aren't happy with the Ardnis, sorry. I hope you continue to read the story. There aren't going to be many Ardnis sex scenes, but the few there are will be problematic. Dubious consent all around. I will put a brief summary of the Ardnis sex scene at the end for those who skip it, in case something plot wise actually happens in the scene.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- The Dual Life of Ignis Scientia

Ignis woke with his hand wrapped around his cock, pumping hard. He flipped onto his stomach, screaming his rage into the pillows as he emptied himself into his hand. He rolled onto his side, dry heaving over the side of the bed.

Gods, what had he done?

He wiped his hand on the sheets. He remembered everything from the dream. He remembered the feel of Ardyn’s hands and lips and cock, and gods in heaven Ignis had been the one to initiate the sex. It hadn’t been gentle.

It hadn’t been real, right? It had just been a dream.

Ignis bit down on his knuckle, trying to ignore the salty aftertaste of his own seed. 

It was never just a dream with Ardyn.

He had betrayed Noctis. 

He whimpered, coppery blood flowing into his mouth, overwhelming the taste of his come. Thank the gods for that. He didn’t want to be reminded of the vile thing he had just done.

It had been Noctis’ birthday, and he had betrayed him. 

He stifled a bitter sob. He was disgusting, vile, the lowest of the low.

He was still wearing the clothes he had worn on Noct’s birthday. He wasn’t sure how long he had been out. He seemed to be alone in his room, thank the gods. At least Cindy hadn’t been in there while he fucked his own hand. 

He buttoned his pants with shaking hands and pulled off his shirt, dropping it to the floor. He reached into the footlocker that Cindy had kindly put at the end of the bed and pulled out another shirt. He fingered the Hammerhead logo on the front. Nearly all of Ignis’ clothes were Hammerhead related now.

He pulled the long sleeved shirt over his head and felt around for his boots. He shoved his feet into them. He couldn’t stop shaking. 

He had betrayed Noctis. Noct hadn’t even been dead a year and Ignis had shoved him aside like so much trash. How could he have done that?

How could he have forgotten Noctis?

He had spent so long trapped deep within himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to Gladio, to Prompto. Was Prompto doing okay? His breath caught in his throat. 

He hadn’t thought of them in so long. He could barely recall their faces.

He could barely recall Noct’s.

He hardly knew what his own face looked like.

He could perfectly recall Ardyn’s. 

Ignis snarled as he stood up, fingers tracing the cluttered desk on the way to the door. He lived in Cid’s old office.

He froze, head bowed on the threshold.

He didn’t deserve to live. 

He didn’t want to live.

If he died, he could be with Noctis. Lunafreya had promised.

It wouldn’t be fair for him to kill himself in Hammerhead. He didn’t want to leave Cindy and Cid with the mess, not after everything they had done for him.

He walked slowly out of the garage. His feet took him straight towards the gate. He could hear people talking, but he didn’t hear Cid or Cindy.

Good. They would try to stop him. 

He didn’t deserve to be stopped.

He heard a familiar laugh. It was the same hunter that had told him the date. Ignis felt a rush of anger. He hated that man, he had ruined Ignis’ quiet, empty world. He had made him remember.

“Well, look who’s out and about!” the same hunter said. “If it isn’t Cindy’s pet lunatic, out without a leash.”

A few other hunters laughed. Ignis’ fists clenched. Fire flared behind his eyes. It reminded him of being down in Cartanica, Gladio walking away from him, leaving on the ground.

“Want me to go get your mistress there, lunatic? Should you be out so soon after your little episode yesterday?”

Ignis growled. The other hunters stopped laughing, and Ignis could hear them taking steps back. He wondered what he looked like to them. He hoped they were afraid of him. 

Jones frowned as the other hunters stepped back and he turned to look at Ignis. The blind man stood right behind him, fists clenched, face white. He looked absolutely livid.

“Oh, the little lunatic looks cranky,” he said, putting plenty of false bravado in his voice.

He reached out to pat Ignis on the cheek. He hadn’t been around long enough to know the man hated being touched by anyone but Cindy. 

One of the other hunters called out for him to stop, but Jones felt like he had to prove himself. He wasn’t scared of some blind crazy man.

As soon as Ignis felt the hunter’s hand on his face, his fist rocked out, slamming into the hunter’s jaw. Ignis swept the man’s feet from under him and kicked him, taking savage pleasure in the man’s screams.

He pretended it was Ardyn. 

He could hear bones crack, and felt ribs give beneath his boots.

Good. He wanted this man to hurt. This man deserved to hurt. 

“What the hell is going on here?” Cid’s voice cut across Ignis’ mind, freezing him in place.

Ignis stood above the hunter, panting. He could feel blood on his knuckles, and could hear the soft moans of the hunter at his feet. He was pretty sure he had broken a few of the man’s ribs, at the very least.

Ignis suddenly felt ashamed. He had never wanted to hurt people before, not until after he had lost his sight, lost his king.

Lost his mind. 

He stumbled away, fingers grasping the gate. His fingers fumbled at the latch, shoving it open and he fell through to the road.

He scrambled to his feet and started to run, Cid’s concerned yells falling on deaf ears.

He headed into the desert, into the dark, fully intent on not coming back.

FFXV

Cindy heard Papa yelling and ran down the stairs to the garage. She glanced into Ignis’ small room and paused, a frown marring her face. He was gone. The sheets were twisted, and the shirt he had been wearing yesterday was in a heap on the floor. 

She jogged out and saw a group of hunters near the gate. Papa was kneeling next to a body. She ran the rest of the way. Gods, what if it was Ignis?

The hunter Jones lay on the cold asphalt, moaning. Blood streamed from his mouth and nose, and his breath came in shallow, raspy pants.

“What happened?” Cindy asked.

One of the other hunters glared at her. “That crazy blind man did this. Beat the shit out of poor Jones.”

“Poor Jones?” Cindy sneered, “you have no idea what Ignis has been through, you-“

“Cindy!” Cid said. 

She crossed her arms, glaring at the hunters. She looked back down at Jones, her eyes widening slightly. 

Ignis had done this? She knelt next to Cid, staring at Jones. 

“Broken jaw, broken ribs, missing a few teeth, and nose broken. Your boy did a hell of a job on him,” Cid grunted.

“Ignis doesn’t belong to me,” Cindy said, motioning for one of the hunters to give her a potion. She popped the top and forced it down Jones’ throat. They tried not to use many curatives on the hunters; it wasn’t like they could just run into the city and buy new ones. They couldn’t move Jones in the condition he was in. 

“Could’ve fooled us,” that same hunter growled. “You’re the only one that crazy bastard listens to. And now look what he’s done.”

“I’m going to do the same thing to you if you don’t shut up,” Cindy snapped.

“Enough, all of you,” Cid roared, getting slowly to his feet.

Everyone fell silent. Cindy turned and stalked back to the garage, mumbling under her breath. She snagged a gun off the wall and a holster, sliding it onto the belt around her waist. She checked the ammo and grabbed a spare clip, shoving it in her back pocket.

She stormed back out to the gate. The hunters had Jones on a stretcher and moved him carefully towards Takka’s. Cid was talking quietly to the youngest hunter of the group, Frankie, she thought his name was. They both looked up as she approached the gate.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Cid asked.

“After Ignis. I’m not leavin’ him out there for the daemons to eat. No one deserves that.”

“Cindy-“

“Papa, we can’t leave him out there. He’s been abandoned by everyone, and I’m not going to be another person that leaves him!”

Cid stared at his granddaughter. He knew that she had felt the sting of abandonment after her parents were killed. He had done his best for her, and he knew she loved him, but when she fell into a project she fell deep. 

He wondered if she considered Ignis a problem to be fixed. He was afraid that the boy was too far gone for anybody to fix.

He stepped back. She nodded and darted out of the gate, heading into the darkness. 

Cindy didn’t bother turning on her small flashlight; she didn’t want to announce herself to the daemons.

“Okay, Ignis,” she muttered, “if I was a somewhat deranged blind man, where I would I go?” She shook her head at herself. That hadn’t been a nice thing to say. She stared at the still lit Cup Noodles billboard and shook her head. Why they still had it lit was beyond her. 

She stepped off the road and headed into the desert. There was a haven not far from Hammerhead. She knew that the prince had stayed there numerous times. Maybe Ignis’ feet would take him in that direction. 

She hoped so. It was a big desert. She knew she’d never be able to find him if she didn’t find him soon. She didn’t fancy having to tell Gladio and the others that she’d lost Ignis. 

She heard daemons in the darkness and she slowed, walking carefully to avoid attention. She hoped she didn’t have to fire the gun. She really didn’t want to, knowing the shot would attract every daemon within hearing distance. 

She had been walking for about an hour when she noticed the dim light spiraling into the air that signaled a haven. She jogged forward quietly, heart in her throat and hand on the butt of the gun.

She could see someone sitting on the flat stone of the haven, head bowed, not moving. She slowly eased onto the haven, holding her breath. 

She let it out with a sigh. It was Ignis.

“Ignis?” she asked softly, lowering herself to sit next to him.

His head turned towards her. The faint light from the runes threw the planes of his face into sharp relief. She could make out tear tracks on his face.

“I betrayed him,” Ignis said hoarsely.

Cindy’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected him to talk. She had long come to terms with his silence.

“Who?” she asked.

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered, turning his face back towards the desert.

“How did you betray the prince?”

His hands shook, and a pained whimper slipped past his lips. 

“I was with another…the worst one…the one person I shouldn’t have turned to…”

Cindy frowned. “Ignis, you were alone in your room all night, since Papa and I put you there yesterday. You weren’t with anyone.”

“It’s never just a dream with Ardyn,” Ignis muttered, almost like he hadn’t heard her.

“Ardyn? The chancellor that Gladio talked about?”

Ignis nodded, his fists clenching. 

“Well, he definitely wasn’t in Hammerhead,” Cindy said. Ignis shook his head, running his hand through his hair. He frowned, fingering the ends of his hair. It was longer than he had realized, longer than it had been in the dream. 

Ignis was silent, shaking beside her. She reached out and patted his knee. He started, gasping.

“Sorry,” she said quickly.

“Did the hunter survive?” he asked.

“Jones? He was alive when I left. You did quite the number on him.”

Ignis bared his teeth. “He deserved it.”

Cindy arched an eyebrow. “No argument from me.”

They were silent for a moment. Cindy stared into the darkness. The lights from Hammerhead were just visible.

“What are you doing out here?” Cindy finally asked.

“I was hoping one of the daemons would kill me,” Ignis said flatly.

Cindy looked at him.

“What kind of fool plan is that?”

“I swore to always protect him, Cindy. I was bonded to him through magic and blood. Death is the only thing that can break that bond and when he died…” Ignis bit back a sob. She realized that he probably had never grieved for Noctis before. He hadn’t been cognizant enough to do so.

“You felt it?” Cindy asked softly, resting her hand on his shoulder.

He nodded slowly, fighting back tears. “It should’ve killed me, the bond being broken. It was supposed to kill me. King Regis told me that the type of bond Noctis had forged between us would result in my death. He knew. He knew that Noctis had to die and he let me lead him to his death!”

A scream tore from Ignis’ throat. He just wanted to be with Noctis, to throw himself before his king and beg for forgiveness for what he had done with Ardyn.

Cindy wrapped her arms around him and pulled him against her. He clung to her.

“Broken, I’m broken,” Ignis muttered against her shoulder. “Little pieces, shattered.”

Cindy swallowed, eyes darting into the darkness. She was worried that a daemon would’ve heard Ignis’ scream. She wasn’t sure what to think. Ignis had been so quiet, so…not there, for so long that she was confused on how to handle him.

She vaguely remembered when her parents died. She had withdrawn from everyone, silent and sullen, until Papa came to pick her up from the hospital. Even with him, it had taken her a while to completely open up. Her parents’ death had hurt her.

“If I die, I can be with him. She promised that,” Ignis whispered. Cindy frowned. She wondered who the ‘she’ was Ignis was talking about. 

“Why death by daemon?”

Ignis went completely still against her. Cindy froze. Something in her told her to run away screaming.

“Because I can feel them,” Ignis said, lifting his head and turning to the desert. “They call to me. It sings in my blood. He showed me how to do it, to take it from them, and now I can feel them out there, waiting.”

Cindy’s heart tried to crawl out of her throat. Somehow, she didn’t think he was talking about Noctis anymore. 

“And I didn’t want to leave you and Cid with the cleanup.”

Cindy stared at him. “Well, how fucking generous of you.”

He turned back to her. The runes of the haven flickered.

“Look, Ignis, you might be crazy as a bedbug, but-“ she was cut off by the roar of a daemon appearing before them. 

Ignis leapt to his feet. He didn’t even think, he just called his daggers to his hand. For a moment, he forgot that Noctis was dead and he had no way to access the Armiger. 

Cindy scrambled back, pulling the gun from the holster with one hand. She stared up at Ignis and froze, gun half raised. 

Ignis’ daggers materialized in his hands. He drove the blades into the daemon, black blood spraying across his face, across his mouth. 

He licked his lips, dropping one of the daggers and grabbing the daemon by the throat.

Cindy stared in horror as Ignis’ body was surrounded by purple flame. The daemon in his grip, some kind of hobgoblin, she thought, started screaming. The same flame that surrounded Ignis rose from the daemon, curling and reaching for Ignis.

Ignis opened his mouth, breathing deeply. Cindy covered her mouth as the dark flame twisted down his throat. She watched, half in fascination, half in terror, as he swallowed it.

The daemon was getting smaller, mewling pathetically and clawing at Ignis’ arm. The sleeve of his shirt was shredded, and she could see blood dripping from his wrist.

Ignis stepped back, the daemon collapsing before him. Ignis knelt next to it, caressing its head. He tilted his head, running his fingers through the daemon’s matted hair. He ran his hand across his lips, wiping away the last of the black blood. 

Ignis slammed his dagger into the daemon’s throat, silencing its cries. He sawed the blade sideways, not even flinching when the blade ground against bone. The daemon shuddered and died, vanishing in purple mist.

Ignis lifted the hand with the dagger, his mouth parted in shock.

“Ignis?” Cindy whispered. She wasn’t sure he heard her. She was having a hard time talking.

“He’s not dead,” Ignis whispered. He caressed the blade, sinking to his knees. How was this possible? He had felt Noctis die. He knew Gladio and Prompto hadn’t been able to summon their weapons. He hadn’t tried.

Cindy shakily holstered her gun. “What?”

“I wouldn’t be able to call this if he was dead,” Ignis said, sending the dagger away with a flick of his wrist. He called it to him again, laughing.

“What…what did you do to that daemon?” Cindy asked, wrapping her arms around herself and staring at the spot where its body had been. 

Ignis turned his head away, shuddering. He shouldn’t have done that. He hadn’t meant to do that. But the blood had spattered across his lips and he could taste it, thick and cloying against his mouth, and he had wanted it. 

So he took it.

A part of him noticed that the pain that had flared up after learning the date was gone. Again, the pain vanished when he drank from the daemons. 

He remembered the taste of Ardyn on his tongue, so much stronger than what he had taken from the daemon.

“I…I don’t know how to explain it,” Ignis finally said.

Cindy took a deep breath, trying to think rationally. “Well, you saved my ass, but I don’t think I’m going to be telling anyone about this.”

“That would probably be better.” He lifted his head and she stifled a scream.

“Oh, oh gods,” she muttered, standing up slowly. She walked forward, staring hard at Ignis’ face. She turned on her flashlight and shined it at his eyes. Her eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on her.

His right eye swam with Darkness, black and violet twisting through the whites of his eye. She touched his face. He blinked at her.

“Um…put these on,” she said, pulling her goggles off her neck and pressing them into his hands. He had stopped wearing his glasses after Gladio and Prompto had left. 

He fingered them, a frown across his face.

“Why?”

“Your eye is all black, like a daemon…” she muttered. He sucked in a startled breath and pulled the goggles over his face. She bit back a laugh.

“What?”

“You look ridiculous.”

He smiled tightly. He hadn’t realized that his eyes changed after taking from the daemons. He vaguely remembered Ardyn checking his left eye after that first time. Ardyn had seemed happy about something. 

“Now what?” Cindy asked softly. She would have to sort out what all this meant later. Ignis had saved her life. She didn’t think he was evil, just crazy. 

Ignis turned his head towards her. “I can stay out here,” he said, “I don’t want to endanger you or Cid.”

She frowned. “I don’t think you’re dangerous.”

“Cindy,” he said patiently, “I just killed a daemon by taking the Darkness from it, and I liked it. I’m not well. I want to do…things…to people and I enjoyed hurting that hunter.”

Cindy looked at him, dirty hair hanging over her goggles. She’d have to find him some reflective sunglasses or something.

“Do you still want to die?” she asked.

Ignis went still. His heart pounded in his chest. Did he want to die? 

He summoned the dagger to his hand again, running his finger over the blade. Noctis was alive. It was the only thing that made sense. What if he came back, and Ignis was gone?

“Noctis is alive,” Ignis whispered.

“So…are you coming back with me?”

Ignis sent the dagger away. “If you’ll have me. I’m hoping that I won’t be entirely useless.”

She tilted her head, smiling at him. “Oh, I think I can think of some things to keep you busy.”

His eyebrow shot up.

“Oh gods, get your head out of the gutter, Scientia,” she shook her head, “ Men.”

FFXV

They made their way slowly back to Hammerhead. Ignis could feel the daemons more strongly than ever, and it made it relatively easy for him to lead them away from large concentrations. He kept calling the dagger to his hand, just to feel the weight of it in his hands.

Cindy followed him quietly. She wasn’t sure what to think of Ignis now. She had seen the Darkness rise from him, and she had seen how easily he had taken the daemon down, drinking the Darkness from it. It wasn’t normal. 

It was, quite simply, terrifying. 

Ignis didn’t look like a daemon. She shrugged mentally. She’d keep an eye on him. Hopefully, if she gave him a job, he’d be okay.

They reached the gate and Cindy opened it. “Come to the garage with me,” she said.

He followed her. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt his lungs constrict. Being back at Hammerhead, safe from the daemons, made him suddenly realize what he had done.

When he was with the daemons, with Ardyn, he forgot everything else. Now, back here, he was afraid, and ashamed again. 

Oh, Noctis, he thought, can you ever forgive me?

They reached the garage without anyone noticing them. She checked her watch. They had been gone about four hours. It was hard to tell the passing of time with no sun.

“C’mere,” she said, dragging him over to an engine sitting on the ground. It was from an older car, but it was in relatively good working order. She pressed his hand against the engine.

“It feels like an engine,” he said, confusion lacing his voice.

“It is. Take it apart and put back together.”

He ran his fingers over the engine. “Why?”

“Give you something to do.” She sighed. “Look, Ignis, it seems right now like you’re…more or less back from wherever you went mentally, and I’d kind of like to keep you here. Papa could use your help with figuring out the reports we’re getting from around Lucis.”

“Reports?”

“Cor and Papa worked with Dave to set the hunters up around the continent. Most of the reports go to Cor in Lestallum, but Papa gets some, and we can’t make heads or tails of what they’re sayin’. You’ve been around the country. You know-“ she stopped.

“I know Darkness?”

“Yeah,” she said, watching his fingers move over the engine block. 

“I would be happy to assist,” he said.

“Good. Take apart the engine first.”

She turned and walked away, leaving Ignis standing over the engine. He sat down in front of it, fingers tracing the engine. It felt good to have something to do.

Cindy stopped outside the garage and leaned against the wall. She pulled out her phone and typed out a quick text to Gladio.

He’s talking.

It took Ignis two days to take the engine apart and put it back together.

FFXV

Two years. 104 weeks. 730 days. 17520 hours.

Ignis knew exactly how long Noctis had been gone now. Most days, he could hold it together, but he still felt the cracks in his mind. Staying busy certainly helped, and he had become quite adept at working on cars. Cindy said if he kept at it he would be the third best mechanic she knew, after herself and Cid.

He worked on the reports with Cid. Cid would have the young hunter Frankie read the reports to Ignis, and then he would write down what Ignis said. Jones had been moved to Lestallum. Ignis had half hoped that his car would get overtaken by daemons, but no such luck. 

He knew he shouldn’t think like that, but he couldn’t help it.

Gladio and Prompto still hadn’t come back. He still hadn’t talked to them. He knew Cindy still sent weekly updates to Gladio, but he never asked her to send the others a message. If they wanted to talk to him they would.

He tried to ignore how much it hurt.

The hunters didn’t really talk to him. He knew they didn’t trust him after he had nearly killed one of their own. 

He started going on hunts. Cid had protested the first time, but Cindy had told her grandfather to let Ignis go, that he could handle himself.

Most of the time, he killed the daemons with his daggers or lance.

Sometimes, he stole the Darkness from them.

He tried to resist, but it felt so good. At first, it had only happened once every couple months. As the weeks turned into months, it started happening more often. Now, he hardly went a week without drinking the Darkness from the daemons. There was a reason he went on hunts alone.

Cindy had found him a pair of reflective glasses that he wore after his hunts. She was the only person who knew what he could do, and sometimes he thought he felt her eyes on him, worried.

He felt stronger every day.

He missed Noctis. It still felt like he had been torn in half, with broken pieces of his soul where Noctis used to be. Even though he was certain Noctis was alive, wherever he was was on a different plane than Ignis, and Ignis couldn’t reach him.

Ignis waking hours took on a semblance of normalcy; he worked with Cindy on the cars, he slowly started to relearn how to cook, he went on hunts. He put on a façade for the people around him.

He was doing better, they would say, see how good he’s doing? 

They didn’t know what he did in his dreams.

FFXV

_Ignis strolled slowly through the Citadel. He paused in front of a mirror and took in his appearance. He looked how he had before Altissia, which was strange. He knew, mostly, what he looked like with the scars. Why would this self be scar free?_

_“You did it again,” Ardyn’s voice floated from behind him. Ignis tilted his head, watching their reflection as Ardyn slipped his arms around Ignis. Ignis’ head fell back against Ardyn’s shoulder. “I felt it.”_

_“Yes,” Ignis said, watching Ardyn’s hand on his chest._

_“You’re doing so well, Ignis, I am so very proud of you,” Ardyn whispered. Ignis turned his head. Ardyn fisted his hand in Ignis hair and they kissed hard, teeth clinking together._

_“Come,” Ardyn said, “I want to show you something.”_

_Ardyn slipped Ignis’ arm through his and led him down into the bowels of the Citadel. Ignis followed him._

_When Ignis could see, he forgot everyone, everything, but Ardyn. Ardyn was teaching him so many wonderful things. Where else could he learn to harness the power of the Starscourge? Who else could teach him to drink Darkness like fine wine?_

_No one. Only Ardyn._

_Ignis was getting by in the waking world. He was starting to live for his dreams._

_It felt like the time he spent with Ardyn was becoming more real than any time spent in the waking world. He knew he should feel alarmed at that, but he couldn’t bring himself to care._

_He was doing better, but he was not a well man._

_He was drawn from his thoughts when they reached a large door. Ardyn opened it and led Ignis through. There was a man chained in the center of the room, naked. Ignis had never seen the man before._

_Ardyn let go of his arm and strolled into the chamber. Ignis followed him._

_Ardyn walked over to a small table and lifted a long, leather whip. He flicked his wrist and the whip unfurled like a snake, cracking the air._

_The man in chains cried out, sobbing incoherently. Ardyn walked up to Ignis, the whip dragging the ground. He stepped up behind Ignis, pressing his body against Ignis’. He forced the whip into Ignis’ hands._

_“Take it,” he whispered, nipping Ignis’ earlobe. “Use it. I know you want to. Make him scream. Make him scream for_ us.”

_Ignis moved his wrist experimentally, watching the popper writhe across the ground. He could feel Ardyn’s breath, hot and wet against his neck._

_Ardyn liked to watch._

_Ignis lifted his arm, flicking his wrist. The whip cracked through the air, snapping against the man’s back._

_He jerked in the chains, a high scream tearing from his lips. Ignis watched with almost clinical fascination as the man’s skin parted, revealing muscle and bone, blood sliding down his body._

_He cracked the whip again._

_And again._

_**##FFXV##** _

_He could hear Ardyn’s panting breaths behind him, and the soft sound of skin on skin as Ardyn pumped his own cock._

_Ardyn liked to watch._

_Ignis used the whip to flay the skin from the man’s back. His own pants were getting tight as he listened to Ardyn work on himself._

_He paused, the whip limp in his hand. He tilted his head and walked around the man. He had fallen silent, and Ignis noticed dispassionately that he was unconscious._

_He looked up at Ardyn and their eyes met over the man’s body. Ardyn bared his teeth in a wicked smile. Ignis felt his own lips curl in response. He strolled slowly around the man’s body, eyes not leaving Ardyn._

_He glanced down at Ardyn’s cock, a line of precome dripping from the tip. Ignis stopped walking, watching as Ardyn pumped himself harder._

_Ignis flicked his wrist, the whip flying through the air and snapping against Ardyn’s cheek. Ardyn cried out in surprise, blood trickling down his cheek. His eyes snapped to Ignis’._

_“I thought you liked pain,” Ignis purred, cracking the whip against Ardyn’s other cheek. Ardyn’s cock twitched in his hand._

_“How brave you’ve become,” Ardyn said, letting go of himself, “to think you can take me on.”_

_“We both know where this is heading, Ardyn.”_

_“I suppose we do,” Ardyn said. He snapped his fingers, and Ignis cried out. Suddenly, he was the man in the chains. “Although I don’t think you entirely saw that coming, did you?”_

_Ignis toes curled on the floor. He was naked, and his cock strained away from his body. He could hear Ardyn behind him, rustling clothing as the chancellor divested himself of his jacket._

_The whip snapped through the air, and Ignis felt it bite into his back. He bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to give Ardyn the pleasure of hearing him scream._

_“Come now, Ignis,” Ardyn said, the whip slicing through Ignis’ skin, “you should know by now that I much prefer to be the one doling the pain out.”_

_“Sadist,” Ignis said through gritted teeth. He jerked against the chains as the whip cut into his back and down the meat of his ass over and over._

_“You say such sweet things,” Ardyn said, dropping the whip. He stepped up behind Ignis and ran his hand down the chained man’s back, coating his fingers in blood. He ran his finger between Ignis’ ass cheeks, pressing against his puckered hole._

_“I’m going to fuck you, Ignis, and you’re going to like it.”_

_Ignis whimpered._

_Ardyn took a step back, watching the blood run in between Ignis’ cheeks. He wrapped his hand around his cock, and pressed it against Ignis’ hole._

_Ignis cried out as Ardyn shoved his way inside him. Blood was not the greatest lubricant in the world. Ardyn pressed against Ignis, slamming his cock into the other man. Ignis’ cock twitched, his slit glistening with precome._

_Ardyn put one hand on Ignis’ hip, fingers leaving red marks on his hips._

_“Fuck, you’re tight, Ignis,” Ardyn panted in his ear. “You liked hurting that man, didn’t you? Watching the whip destroy him, knowing it was by your hand.”_

_“Only because I could pretend it was you,” Ignis ground out. His ass burned as Ardyn continually slammed inside of him. Ardyn shifted, the head of his cock brushing Ignis’ prostate. Ignis cried out, tightening around Ardyn._

_“Is that what you do? Pretend those you hurt are me?”_

_“Yes, gods…Ardyn, yes.”_

_“I think you would like to hurt me, wouldn’t you?”_

_“You just figured that out?”_

_Ardyn laughed, digging his fingers into one of Ignis’ wounds. Ignis screamed. Ardyn smiled. Music to his ears._

_“What do you really want, Ignis?”_

_“You…”_

_“How delightful. I’m quite sure you have me, given the position we’re in.”_

_“Dead.”_

_“I’m sorry, I think I missed that.”_

_“I want you dead,” Ignis said. Ardyn shifted again, his dick rubbing Ignis’ prostate relentlessly. Ignis bucked in the chains, the rattling of the chains mixing with his cries as he came._

_“Oh, Ignis, you know I can’t die,” Ardyn said, his thrusts increasing. He looked over Ignis’ shoulder, smiling at the sticky strands covering his chest. He pulled out of Ignis, and Ignis moaned, hanging limply in the chains._

_Ardyn wrapped his hand around himself, slick and warm with Ignis’ blood. He was close. He pumped his cock, watching through lidded eyes as he came across Ignis’ back._

_Ignis twitched in the chains, Ardyn’s seed running into his wounds. It fucking hurt._

_Ardyn walked around him and cupped his cheek, thumb running over Ignis’ lips. “You are so much fun, Ignis. I do so enjoy our time together.”_

_“Fuck off,” Ignis said._

_“Such a mouth on you. I know you never used to speak with such foul language.”_

_“You’ve been a bad influence.”_

_“Haven’t I though?” Ardyn leaned forward, kissing Ignis hard on the mouth. Ignis leaned into the kiss, chasing the taste of Darkness on Ardyn’s tongue._

_Ardyn laughed softly against his mouth, his hand wrapping around Ignis’ throat. “See you next time, Ignis.”_

_Ignis groaned, black spots dancing at the corner of his vision. Everything went black._

**##FFXV##**

Nearly three years after Noctis disappeared, Galdin Quay fell. It lasted much longer than Cindy thought it would. 

Cindy and Ignis had been working on the Regalia, trying to find some replacement parts for the engine. It was slow going; a pet project for both of them. They rarely had time to work on it.

Ignis paused, his head canting to the side. “Cars incoming,” he said, standing up and wiping his hands on his coverall pants. Cindy stood up as well, turning towards the gate. 

“Looks like three of ‘em,” she said. Two hunters standing at the gate pulled it open as the cars pulled in slowly.

Other hunters came out, watching the cars. The lead car stopped and the doors opened, two people getting out. 

Cindy frowned. It looked like Dino and Coctura from Galdin Quay. She had made a few runs to Galdin before the night fell, usually running parts. Coctura had always made her a nice little shrimp dish. She thought Dino was strange.

Dino put his hand on Coctura’s back as other people slowly got out of the other cars. Dino looked around, his eyes landing on Cindy and the man next to her. Dino frowned. The man was somewhat familiar. He had ash brown hair that was tied back in a loose knot at the base of his neck, and scars across his left eye. His right eye was stone grey, clearly unseeing. He was sure he had seen the man before, but he couldn’t place him. 

It was going to drive him nuts.

“What happened?” Cindy asked, hands on hips.

“Galdin Quay was overrun,” Dino said tiredly. Coctura leaned against him and his armed tightened around her. “We’re all that’s left,” he said, gesturing to the other people.

There were only twelve of them. 

Cindy cursed. “Ignis, go tell Papa that Galdin Quay fell, and maybe help Takka set up a warm meal for these people.”

Ignis nodded and turned, walking easily across Hammerhead.

“Ignis…not the Ignis that was with the prince?” Dino said incredulously, staring at the man’s back. Dino had thought that Ignis had been a bit of a pretentious dick, to be perfectly honest. He knew that Ignis had never liked how he had treated the prince. The man with shoulder length hair and scars across his face couldn’t possibly be the same man.

“Yes,” Cindy said shortly.

“What happened to him?” Coctura asked. She remembered him as well. He had always been willing to talk recipes with her, working on things for the prince. She had thought it was adorable. 

“He was with the prince in Altissia,” Cindy said. “He was wounded in the line of duty.” They didn’t need to know about the rest of the problems. On his good days, Ignis was almost normal. On his bad days, she worried about what he would do to anyone who crossed his path. He still listened to her, even when he wasn’t all there and Darkness slid across his eye. On his bad days, she sent him into the desert.

He would come back days or even a week later, calmer, but with an edge of violence that worried her. He never threatened to hurt her or Papa, but she still worried. She did her damnedest to keep him busy.

“Damn,” Dino muttered, staring after Ignis. “What about the others?”

“Gladio and Prompto are in Lestallum,” Cindy said, leading the refugees to Takka’s, “they’re helping Cor with stuff there.”

Ignis walked into Takka’s. “Cid said that he’d call Cor and let him know about Galdin Quay. He said he’d send a group to escort them to Lestallum.”

“Good,” Cindy said.

“The hunters should be here in no more than two days,” Ignis said. Dino nodded tiredly. At least they would have an escort to the large city. It had been hell getting from Galdin Quay to Hammerhead. He had tried to convince Coctura to leave after Longwythe had fallen, but she had refused to leave.

They ate the meager meal Takka gave them in silence. Ignis slipped back outside. Two days and these people would be gone.

He hated it when strangers were in Hammerhead. They made it difficult to move, to breath. The people crowded in around him, making it difficult to find his way. He reached up and yanked the tie holding his hair back out. His hair brushed his shoulders.

He didn’t see the point in styling it anymore. He let it grow. It wasn’t like he could see it, anyway. 

It was another way to differentiate between the Ignis of the waking world and the Ignis he was with Ardyn. In his dreams, he still looked perfect, hair styled, face scar free. 

He shook his head angrily. He would go hunting, leaving until the group from Galdin was gone and Hammerhead went back to normal.

FFXV

The refugees from Galdin finally left, and Ignis returned from his hunt. Cindy didn’t say anything as he returned, glasses firmly on his face.

He had taken down an Iron Giant, draining it dry. He had never taken down such a large daemon, and it hadn’t been easy, but it had felt amazing.

He wondered if Ardyn would be proud of him. 

He immediately shied away from that thought. He tried not to think of Ardyn in the waking world. Ardyn confused him. His own body betrayed him every time he thought of the things Ardyn did to him. 

They worked on the car in silence.

FFXV

Exactly three years after Noctis disappeared, the dreams stopped.

Ignis didn’t know what to think. He had lived so long with the dreams, looking forward to the dreams, to seeing Ardyn, to learning from him, that it had seemed like the dreams were more real than reality.

It had been easier to function when he could escape to the world where he could hurt people (Ardyn) with no consequence. It had been easier to remain…lucid.

A month passed, and then two. 

He felt himself slipping. He would go days without being aware of where he was, who was around him.

Cindy watched him slip away and felt useless. He had been better for nearly two years, and she didn’t understand why he had suddenly had a setback.

She hadn’t told Gladio yet. The other two men still hadn’t come to visit, and she was kind of angry with them. They had abandoned Ignis when he needed them the most.

Ignis went back to wandering Hammerhead like a silent ghost. She watched him sleep, tossing and turning, crying out for someone. He lost weight, and she hadn’t seen him summon his dagger in weeks.

Ignis stood against the fence, fingers curled through the links, face turned towards the Crown City. He was restless. It had been weeks since he had gone on a hunt, and he couldn’t stay still long enough to work on the cars or cook. 

He needed something. He needed…

Ardyn.

He hated himself in that moment, nearly as much as he hated Ardyn. 

He felt lost without the dreams, without Ardyn, anchoring him. Noctis had been his anchor and when the bond was severed, he was a ship tossed upon the sea. The dreams with Ardyn were a strange stability that Ignis craved.

He knew the truth. It wasn’t the stability he craved, it was the pain. Ardyn made him feel something, when all he was used to feeling was disconnected and alone. He had just gotten better at hiding it.

He turned from the fence and walked slowly to his room. He pulled out a small backpack and filled it with potions, antidotes, and food. He paused at the door, listening. Cindy was in the garage.

“Cindy?” he said quietly. She stood up, staring at him. 

“Goin’ somewhere?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’m going to the city.”

“Lestallum?” she asked in surprise.

He shook his head. “Insomnia.”

Her eyes widened. “Do you want a car?”

He barked out a harsh laugh. “Cindy, I’m blind. Just because I can fix the cars doesn’t mean I can drive one.”

“What are you going to do there?”

Ignis shrugged. “I need to get out for a while. I’m…”

“Going stir crazy?”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” Cindy said softly, wiping some grease off her hands. “You come across any of those headlights, grab them for me, would ya?”

Ignis nodded. “Of course, and…thank you.”

She followed him out to the gate. He opened it and slipped out. She stood there, watching him walk into the darkness.

“Hey, Ignis!” she yelled. He turned back to face her. “You’re always going to be welcome in Hammerhead!”

He bowed to her, turned, and vanished into the dark.

FFXV

Ardyn leaned against one of the many ruined cars in Insomnia, waiting. He ran his thumbnail under another fingernail, dried blood flaking off it. 

He waited, whistling softly. Ignis was coming, he was sure of it.

He had stopped sending the dreams to Ignis nearly three months earlier, on the anniversary of dear Noct being taken by the Crystal. Ardyn was tired of playing with Ignis in dreams. They were becoming rote and dull.

He knew Ignis had become dependent on the dreams, on him. He knew that Ignis would start slipping if he stopped the dreams. He knew that Ignis would want to find him, and Ardyn couldn’t wait.

Ignis was going to be wonderful by the time Ardyn was done with him. Noctis would be absolutely devastated when he came back and realized just how far Ignis had fallen.

Noctis would suffer for it, and Ardyn got to play with Ignis. A win-win, as far as Ardyn was concerned.

He heard footsteps and looked up. He watched as a man walked slowly towards him. His eyes widened slightly as the man stopped in front of him.

This was Ignis?

If it wasn’t for the scars, Ardyn wouldn’t have recognized him. Ignis’ hair was long, just past his shoulders, and no glasses sat on his face. Ardyn sighed. He looked almost like-

Ardyn stepped forward, opening his arms wide. He embraced Ignis, pulling the blind man against him.

“Ignis,” he whispered, “I knew you’d come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardnis summary: Ignis whips the man hanging from the chain and when the man falls unconscious, turns the whip on Ardyn. Ardyn is not pleased, and Ignis finds himself in the chains at Ardyn's mercy. Ardyn whips him, fucks him, and Ignis wakes up.


	26. Now-Of Prophecies and Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Promptio chapter, or, the one where the author wanted to give ya'll something much much lighter before I go and stomp on your hearts with Ignis again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. This chapter is all Promptio, and I'm a little unsure about it. A huge thank you to @dark_regalia (I know you have an account here, but for the freaking life of me I can't remember your name. I'm horrible) for giving me thumbs up on a couple of scenes. This is a long chapter. Please please please let me know what you think, because Promptio is really not my jam. I love them, but I love Ignoct more.  
> No warnings besides sweet sweet consensual sex in this chapter. Enjoy this, because shit gets real dark in the following chapters.  
> Poor Ignis.  
> as always, comments and kudos are love  
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- Of Prophecies and Rings

It had been just over a year since Noctis had died. They had had a small get together to mark Noct’s birthday. Prompto, Gladio, Cor, Iris, Talcott, Monica, Aranea, Biggs, and Wedge. They had sat around and talked about Noctis, drinking and eating good food, taking comfort in the company.

Aranea told them about meeting Noctis at the base and trying to kill him, only to later help him at Ardyn’s command. Iris told them about the time Noct had followed her out of the palace and had taken the blame for her, solidifying Noctis as ‘somewhat alright’ in Gladio’s eyes. Prompto talked about school with Noctis. Cor talked about Noctis as a baby, before his mother died. Monica told them about the time Noctis had snuck into the Crownsguard garage and painted Cor’s car pink. That one had them roaring with laughter. Talcott, Biggs, and Wedge stayed quiet, enjoying the comradery and the food.

At some point, Gladio had stood up and stared at the window. He had smiled and cried with all of them, listening to them tell stories about Noctis. No one said anything about Ignis. It was almost like they were trying to forget that Ignis existed. He remembered Noctis painting Cor’s car, and he knew for a fact that Ignis had been there with him, but they edited their stories so it seemed like Ignis wasn’t there. It made Gladio angry, but he was just as guilty. 

He never responded to Cindy’s texts. They were always the same. Ignis was still…gone.

It was easier to pretend that Ignis had died with Noctis. In a way, he had.

“Gladdy?” Iris asked. He turned to look at her. “Are you going to tell a story?” she said softly. She knew that he didn’t like talking about Noctis.

Gladio smiled sadly. “I was bound to him through Oath, Blood, and Magic, in the mine at Cartanica.”

Cor’s eyes widened. “He used the old magic on you?”

Gladio nodded, sitting back down next to Prompto. He took Prompto’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Gladio took a deep breath. Prompto ran his thumb over Gladio’s hand.

“I fucked up pretty bad,” Gladio said, staring at his and Prompto’s linked hands. “After Altissia, I was angry all the time. Ignis was hurt, and was starting to act strange. I thought we should’ve had Cid bring him back to Lucis after he dropped us off to catch the train, but Noctis wanted Ignis with us. I started keeping Noctis and Ignis apart, because I thought that Noctis needed to get over what happened and that being around Ignis wouldn’t help. I didn’t know that, through some messenger magic that I can’t even begin to understand, they were lovers.

“Anyway, Ignis was getting worse and I didn’t, or wouldn’t, see it. Noctis wasn’t getting over it, moving on. He wasn’t being the king I thought he needed to be. Poor Prompto was stuck in the middle of all of us, trying to keep us together while we self-destructed.” He raised their hands to his mouth and kissed the back of Prompto’s hand.

“One day, several weeks after Altissia, Noct and I got into a heated argument. I…blamed him for not caring about Ignis. We got to Cartanica, and Noctis brought Ignis down into the mines with us. I disagreed vehemently. I didn’t see how I could protect Noctis and a blind man at the same time.”

Gladio closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to Prompto’s hand. He didn’t like talking about that time. He didn’t like talking about how much he had hurt Ignis. Prompto leaned against him, pressing a kiss against Gladio’s shoulder.

“We had to find a generator key. Noctis ran ahead, Prompto helped Ignis, and I ranged behind. We heard Noctis get in a fight of some kind, and Ignis sent Prompto ahead…” Gladio drifted off. He could still see Ignis ahead of him, walking carefully with his cane, falling, hitting his shoulder hard.

“Ignis stood there for a moment, and then started to walk up the hill. He fell, hard. I watched as he got to his hands and knees, and I left him there. I walked right by him. I thought that maybe, maybe if Noct and Prompto could see that he couldn’t handle it they would agree to send him back.”

Cor stared at him hard. “You left him?”

“Yes,” Gladio said, raising his head and looking at Cor, his amber eyes dark with pain. “I left him on the path. I left a friend and brother when he needed me the most.” He took another deep breath. “I joined Noctis and Prompto, and we had just spotted a haven when Ignis screamed. It was…”

“Awful,” Prompto said softly. “Noctis and I ran back down the hill. Ignis was on his hands and knees, screaming. He had blood streaming down his face-“

“From what?” Iris asked.

Prompto looked at her. “He bled from his eyes a lot after Altissia. Not bloody tears, but blood.”

Gladio squeezed Prompto’s hand again and picked up the story. “Prom and Noct tried to figure out what had happened, and I said something harsh and careless. Ignis stopped screaming, got to his feet, and tried to kill me.”

“What?” Aranea said in surprise. She hadn’t been shocked that Ignis had bled from his eyes. She had seen the scars. She was a little shocked that he had managed to try and kill Gladio.

“He threw a Firaga spell at me. Mostly missed. Noctis got in between us and sent Prompto and me to set up the camp. Prompto talked some sense into me, and I knew I shouldn’t have done what I did…”

Gladio stared blankly into the distance. It still ate at him every day. Maybe if he hadn’t left Ignis that day, Ignis would still be here. It was an irrational thought, but it kept circling his mind. “That night, after Prompto went to bed, I saw Noctis and Ignis kiss. Things made a lot more sense after that, but I was even more determined that Ignis not come with us into the Empire. I figured romantic feelings would only get in the way.”

Monica arched her eyebrow and looked at Prompto and Gladio’s linked hands. Gladio smiled wryly. 

“The next morning, we headed down to the tomb. There was a big fight. Ignis ended up saving our asses. Noct got the Royal Arm, and Ignis asked to stay with us, until the end.”

Prompto sighed. He remembered this all too well. He didn’t like talking about it, but he was just glad Gladio was finally talking about Noctis.

“I disagreed. Eventually, I asked Noct what he thought, and Noctis said that Ignis would stay with him. I said…” he closed his eyes. He still regretted saying what he said.

“Want me to tell them?” Prompto asked softly. Gladio nodded.

“He said that Noct couldn’t bring Ignis with us just because he was fucking him,” Prompto said, running his thumb in constant circles over Gladio’s hand. Gladio hunched his shoulders. The others sat there in silence, the only sound was the couch creaking as Cor leaned back.

“What happened next?” Cor finally asked. He knew that Gladiolus was uncomfortable talking about this, but he also figured it might help Gladio find some closure.

Gladio’s lip twitched. “Noct punched me, swept my legs out from under me, and held a sword to my throat. He gave me a choice; I could either swear myself to him through Oath, Blood, and Magic, or I could leave when we reached the surface and never see him again. I took the oath.”

Everyone was silent for a moment. “I didn’t know Noctis knew how to call old magic,” Cor said. He had known it hadn’t been used in over 100 years, and that Regis had read about it but had never been able to do it.

Gladio shrugged. “It wasn’t the first time, apparently. Noct told me later that he had accidently bound Ignis to him when he was seven.”

Cor sat forward again suddenly, his eyes boring into Gladio’s. “Ignis was bound to Noctis? How?”

Gladio and Prompto stared at him, then glanced at each other, then back at Cor.

“Please,” Cor said, “It could be important to Ignis’…condition.”

“Noctis didn’t tell me exactly what happened. He said that he and Ignis decided they were going to be blood brothers, and that they cut their thumbs, pressed them together, swore to always be together and Noctis said that they were surrounded by magic, and King Regis came running in. Noct didn’t tell me much of what happened later, only that his father made them keep it quiet.”

Cor stood up and started pacing. They watched him. 

“Marshal?” Iris asked. Cor stopped and turned to face them.

“I read a lot about old magic after the road trip with Regis and the others. It had come up, and I was curious. I read everything I could get my hands on. It sounds like Ignis was bound to him through Blood and Magic, but no oath?”

Gladio shrugged. 

Cor started pacing again. “There was no complete text on old magic. Much of it had been destroyed some 2000 years ago. There were…bits and pieces of legends and myths that I was able to put together.”

He paused and faced them, hands clasped behind his back. 

“’Before the blighted soil fell,  
A beloved king ruled long and well.  
The gods smiled upon him and his beloved,  
Brother, advisor, lover, friend.  
Bound together by blood, magic, and love,  
Until the Starscourge spelled their end.’”

“Uh…okay?” Gladio said.

Iris frowned. “Was that a prophecy or something?”

They looked at her.

“No, think about it. ‘Before the blighted soil fell’ could mean this long night. The beloved king could be Noctis, right? The gods smiled upon him. He was chosen by the Crystal at a young age. Ignis was like his brother, he was his advisor, lover and friend. They were bound together by everything you just said, and well, the Starscourge pretty much ended it, didn’t it?”

“It was written 2000 years ago,” Monica said. 

“And Noct never ruled,” Prompto said softly. “He was king without a country, without a throne.”

Iris moaned and flopped back against her chair. 

“There’s got to be literature somewhere with more information about this,” Aranea said, leaning forward.

“I don’t think we can get into Insomnia,” Talcott said.

“No, the Marshal went through everything the royal library had. There’s ruins around Lucis, around the world. We can send hunters out, not only hunting daemons, but information,” Aranea said.

Cor nodded. “It’s a good plan. The more we can find out, the stronger we’ll be.”

“Costlemark,” Prompto said suddenly. They looked at him. “Besides being creepy as hell, it was old. There might be a library or something under there. Not looking forward to going back down there, but as long as I don’t have to go alone, I’m for it.”

“You won’t go alone. Something like Costlemark will be an all hands on deck evolution. Aranea? Can we count on you?” Cor asked. Monica pulled out a notebook and started jotting down notes.

“Yeah, sure. Put it on Gladio’s tab. By the time everything’s all said and done, he’s going to owe me everything,” she shot a wicked smile at Gladio. He rolled his eyes. 

Cor nodded. “It will take a couple of months to get an expedition like this ready, let’s get planning.”

Cor, Monica, Talcott, Aranea and her men, and Iris all followed him downstairs, leaving Prompto and Gladio sitting on the couch. 

“That was a good idea,” Gladio said softly, squeezing Prompto’s hand. Prompto smiled at him.

“That was brave of you to tell everyone that story,” Prompto said. Gladio shook his head.

“Not really.”

“I think it was brave,” Prompto said stubbornly. “It was a shit time. They never did ask about the binding after Cor’s weird prophecy thingy.”

“Thingy? Is that a technical term?” Gladio asked.

Prompto stuck his tongue out at him, and squealed when Gladio picked him up suddenly and carried him to their room, kicking the door shut behind him. He dropped Prompto on the bed and crawled up next to him.

He pulled Prompto against him, resting his chin against his blonde hair. “Thank you, Prompto.”

“For what?” Prompto asked, truly confused.

“Wanting to have this little get together to mark Noct’s birthday. For making me talk about him. It wasn’t easy but…”

“I don’t want to forget him,” Prompto said quietly. “I’m afraid if I don’t talk about him, I’ll forget what he was like.”

“I know,” Gladio said, kissing Prompto’s forehead. “Cor explained some things to me last week, after Iris and I fought. I was being selfish, again. I was also pushing you away, and I’m so sorry for that.”

Prompto didn’t say anything, just snuggled closer to him. He could feel Gladio’s breath across his head, ruffling his hair. He felt Gladio’s lips against his head again, and he tilted his face back, wiggling up until their lips touched.

Gladio deepened the kiss, running his tongue along Prompto’s lips. Prompto opened his mouth, tongue gently touching Gladio’s. Gladio hummed into his mouth, rolling onto his back and pulling Prompto on top of him.

Prompto could feel Gladio getting hard beneath him, and he ground himself against the front of Gladio’s pants.

Gladio groaned, his hands tightening on Prompto’s hips. He forced Prompto’s hips to move with him, their lengths rubbing together through the fabric of their pants.

They hadn’t had sex yet. They would make out like randy teenagers, grind against each other, making the other come in their pants, but they hadn’t actually had sex. There hadn’t really been time, and, at least to Prompto, it had felt almost disrespectful.

There was also the fact that Prompto’s nightmares got in the way. He knew Gladio had nightmares too. He had lain awake many a night, watching Gladio sleep. He thought Gladio dreamed about Cartanica, about Gralea, about failing Noctis. He was afraid to ask.

Gladio kissed Prompto’s jaw, moving slowly up his face to nibble on his ear. Prompto moaned, sliding his hands up Gladio’s chest. Gladio arched his back into Prompto’s hands. Prompto drew his nails over the bigger man’s nipples. Gladio gasped in his ear.

“Prompto,” he groaned softly.

Prompto panted against Gladio’s neck, flicking his tongue out to taste him. Gladio’s hands cupped Prompto’s ass, grinding them together.

Prompto lifted his head and pressed his lips hard against Gladio’s again. Gladio responded enthusiastically, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. It felt like it had been forever. Between hunts, training, and dealing with more and more refugees every day, he didn’t have as much time with Prompto as he would’ve liked. It hadn’t helped that he had been pushing Prompto away.

His thumbs traced the small of Prompto’s back; the kissing grew more heated. Prompto moaned into Gladio’s mouth. Gladio’s hands tightened around Prompto’s waist. Gods, the sounds coming from Prompto were amazing.

He gently shoved Prompto’s shirt up, his fingers running over Prompto’s sides.

Prompto froze. Gladio’s fingers traced the scars where his stretch marks used to be. He tried not to think about his scars. Since the day Gladio and the others had rescued him in Gralea, and Gladio had showered with him, he hadn’t let Gladio see him without a shirt on.

He didn’t even like looking at himself without a shirt on. The scars didn’t hurt, but every time he felt his shirt catch on one, or he scratched himself, it brought the memories screaming back. 

He showered in the dark. He only turned on the light after putting a shirt on. He masturbated in the dark, never naked. Every time he and Gladio had fooled around, they had both remained clothed, blushing and giggling as they came in their pants.

Gladio felt Prompto go completely rigid above him. Every muscle was suddenly wound tight. He heard a soft whimper. 

“Prompto?” he whispered.

Prompto started to shake. Gladio felt a hot tear splash against his face and he blinked. What had happened?

He suddenly realized where his hands were; under Prompto’s shirt, spread over his abdomen, over the scars. 

In the little less than a year they had been kissing and holding each other, he had never touched Prompto’s skin under his shirt. It hadn’t really clicked with him. Most of their encounters had been hurried, quick things; hands down the front of pants, grinding against each other, heated kissing. 

He held Prompto when he woke up from nightmares of Ignis carving him up, taunting him. They had gotten less numerous over the past year. He knew that Prompto had had a few episodes while he had been out hunting. 

“Prompto?” Gladio whispered again, sliding his hands out from under Prompto’s shirt. Prompto buried his face in Gladio’s neck, soft cries wracking his body. 

Prompto rolled off of him, curling into a tight ball in shame. He couldn’t stop the tears from streaming out of his eyes. Gladio closed his eyes briefly, mentally telling his raging hard on ‘down boy down,’ before wrapping his arms around Prompto and spooning himself around the smaller man.

“It’s okay, Prompto,” Gladio said into his neck, trapping Prompto’s hands under his. He kissed the back of Prompto’s neck. “It’s okay. I’m here for you. I…Prompto, you know I love you, right?”

Prompto went completely still; Gladio wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. Gladio laced their fingers together.

“I love you, Prompto, and I’ll wait as long as you need me to.”

Prompto rolled over in his arms, burying his face against Gladio’s chest. Gladio’s arms tightened around him. Their legs intertwined.

“I love you too,” Prompto whispered.

They lay together in the endless night, the ever present cries of daemons drifting over Lestallum.

Gladio didn’t hear his phone go off.

It was from Cindy, and only said two words: He’s talking.

FFXV

The expedition to Costlemark was harder to get together than Cor had anticipated. Things kept cropping up, people kept coming to him with problems, and he was getting tired of it. He just wanted to go out into the desert and kill some daemons, but someone had to run this lash-up, and it seemed to be him.

Monica took care of arranging most of the smaller hunts. They slowly took over the entire Leville hotel. Aranea spent much of her time out. Her personal airship gave her easier access to the world than anyone else had. 

Talcott mostly helped Monica with administrative work, but he was training hard with various weapons. He quickly picked up firearms, much to Prompto’s delight. Iris turned out to be absolutely deadly with a katana, which pleased Cor to no end.

Aranea had taken the young Amicitia girl under her wing. Cor could see that it drove Gladio crazy, letting his sister go out on hunts with the mercenary, but he didn’t have a choice. 

Prompto and Gladio quickly became two of the best hunters in Lucis. After Noctis’ birthday, they went out as a team most of the time. Sometimes, Cor split them up, but not often. Something had changed between them the night of Noctis’ birthday; he wasn’t sure what, but they were a wonderful team. 

Cid called him occasionally, giving updates on Leide, and Ignis. Cor had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Ignis seemed to be doing better. Cid told him that Ignis had nearly killed a hunter with his fists and feet and then disappeared into the night. Cindy had gone after him, bringing him back a few hours later. Cindy put Ignis to work on the cars, which Cor found amusing for some reason. The hunter that Ignis had damn near killed was moved to Lestallum. Cor found him to be a lazy asshole who thought he was owed the world. After he was relatively healed up, he sent him out with Gladio. Jones was much quieter after that trip. 

Cor knew Gladio was getting similar updates via text from Cindy, but Ignis’ name never came up with the young men. It bothered Cor, but he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. He would go see Ignis himself, but there was never enough time.

Iris walked in, tossing a pile of books on his desk. “Here’s every copy of the Cosmogony our hunters have been able to find.”

Cor nodded his thanks. Ever since they had decided to look for information on the Starscourge and the strange, half remembered folklore of old magic, Iris had thrown herself into research.

So far, they hadn’t had any luck. Cor was starting to think Costlemark was going to be their only chance for any new information, and from what Gladio and Prompto had told him, it could very well get them all killed.

If they couldn’t find a way to bring back the light without the Chosen King, they were all going to die anyway. Cor preferred to die fighting than the slow death the endless night promised them.

Lestallum was warmer than much of Lucis. Farmers had moved into the surrounding areas, building hot houses and green houses to try and keep fresh food on tables. It wasn’t easy. Hunters went out every day, searching for fresh meat. It was getting scarcer. Daemons and the endless night were killing livestock and game alike. 

The long night was a great diet plan.

Everyone looked like ghosts, their skin white without the kiss of the sun. Vitamin D supplements were handed out to every refugee who walked through the gates of Lestallum, built not long after the night fell. 

Time passed. Iris acquired a scar on her left cheek. Talcott started going on hunts with Aranea or Cor. Gladio and Prompto ranged across Duscae, taking down daemons and helping people move to Lestallum as outposts fell, one by one.

Hammerhead and Galdin Quay were the only outposts left in Leide. Cor didn’t expect Hammerhead to fall; they were well fortified. He was amazed Galdin Quay had made it this long. 

Noctis’ birthday rolled around again. Aranea and Monica couldn’t make it to the small gathering they held in the Leville, but everyone else was there. They told stories of Noctis again, raising their glasses in a toast to the fallen king.

Prompto and Gladio held each other that night, crying as they remembered Noctis.

They still hadn’t had sex. They had given each other blowjobs, but Prompto never took his shirt off. He was ashamed of his scars. He was having difficulties getting past it. 

Gladio was so patient with him, and Prompto didn’t understand why. There was no shortage of men or women chasing Gladio, perfectly willing to give him exactly what any man would want. 

But Gladio steadfastly stayed next to Prompto. He flirted, he smiled, but he always came home to Prompto.

Prompto loved him more every day and it scared him a little. He was afraid Gladio would up and leave, like he had near the beginning of their journey, so very long ago. Prompto didn’t want to be alone in this world.

Gladio knew that Prompto was worried about him leaving. It never crossed Gladio’s mind. He had made a promise to Prompto, and he didn’t ever plan on breaking it. He almost felt like his oath bond had shifted from Noctis to Prompto.

Not magically, of course. The magic had died with Noctis. Neither he nor Prompto tried to summon their weapons again. The absence of the Armiger hurt too much to try. The absence of Noctis hurt too much to try.

Gladio knew that if Noctis was still alive somehow, he’d want him to remain with Prompto. He tried not to think about what Noct would think about them abandoning Ignis to his fate. Noctis would have their asses for it.

But Gladio didn’t stay with Prompto just because that’s what Noct would have wanted. He stayed with him because he loved him. He felt a twisting sadness every time Prompto shoved his hands away from the scars on his abdomen. 

Gladio didn’t care about Prompto’s scars. There had to be a way for Prompto to see that.

Gladio had grown out his hair, and Prompto loved to run his fingers through it. Iris once tied part of it back with a pink bow. Prompto really liked it half pulled back, so Gladio started wearing it like that every day. He did get rid of the pink bow, much to Iris’ disgust.

Prompto was trying to grow a beard and failing miserably. Gladio ribbed him gently about it, helping him shave.

He got weekly texts from Cindy. Ignis seemed to be doing better.

He never replied.

FFXV

Three years after the night fell, Galdin Quay finally fell. Cor received a call from Cid. Twelve survivors had made it to Hammerhead. Everyone else who taken refuge at the seaside resort had died.

Gladio and Prompto were on a hunt, so Cor sent another group of hunters to escort the survivors to Lestallum. Hammerhead couldn’t handle the strain of that many people on a permanent basis. 

Cor would’ve gone himself, but a group of hunters had gone missing near Ravatogh, and he went to investigate. 

He found no trace of them, and had to write down the names of another six hunters that disappeared on his watch. 

By the time he returned, Gladio and Prompto were back, and the survivors from Galdin Quay had arrived the day before. They were weary and thin and glad to be in civilization. Cor asked them if they had seen Ignis.

Dino looked at him. “Wouldn’t have recognized the man if Cindy hadn’t said his name.”

“What do you mean?”

Dino laughed, running his hands through his (still perfectly styled) hair. “He had long hair, no glasses, wicked scars. Nothing like the pompous ass who traveled with the prince.”

Cor frowned. Coctura smacked Dino and turned to Cor. “I tried to talk to him, but he left not long after we got there. Miss Cindy said he went on a hunt.”

“Ignis hunts?” Prompto asked in surprise. He and Gladio had walked into the room in the middle of the conversation. 

Dino shrugged. “That’s what Cindy said. He wasn’t there when we left. Takka said Ignis doesn’t like crowds around Hammerhead.”

Prompto and Gladio looked at each other, frowning.

“Thanks,” Cor said, ushering Dino and Coctura from the room. “Monica will find housing for you guys. We tend to keep people from the same areas together. You might hate them, but you’re familiar with them.”

Cor’s voice drifted away as they moved down the stairs. Gladio looked at Prompto.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

Prompto nodded. “Yeah. It’s good that Ignis is hunting, right? It means he’s doing better?” Prompto’s voice was quiet, almost like he wasn’t sure.

Gladio pulled Prompto against him in a one armed hug, dropping a kiss on his hair. “I hope so, Prompto. I hope so.”

FFXV

Months dragged by. The Costlemark expedition was no closer to setting out. Cor had Gladio and Iris go scout the area around the ruins. Prompto remained behind to help Monica and Talcott organize a hunt to take down a large group of daemons that were moving steadily closer to Lestallum. 

Gladio and Iris returned and debriefed Cor. Daemon activity around Costlemark was up, but nothing that they couldn’t handle. Gladio warned him that daemon activity inside the ruins would be worse than anything on the outside. He had lost track of the times Cor had made them run through their first trip into Costlemark with him. 

“Prompto around?” Gladio asked at the end of the debrief.

“He’s upstairs, going through reports of the daemon horde moving this way,” Cor said, accepting a mug of coffee from Iris.

“Thanks,” Gladio said, standing up. Iris smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes and bounded up the stairs.

He opened the door to their room and paused, just looking at Prompto. He sat at the small desk, the lamp burning orange in the otherwise dark room. His brow was furrowed, and he was biting his lip, flipping through reports.

He heard Gladio come in and smiled briefly at him before turning back to the reports. He wanted to get these done, and then cuddle.

“Prompto?” Gladio asked.

“Hmmm?” Prompto said, separating another report and placing it in a separate pile. Some of these were complete crap. A glowing daemon horse with a horn? Haven’t these people ever heard of spiracorns? Prompto snorted and shook his head. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, Gladio,” Prompto said, flipping through another report, “you know that.”

Gladio was silent for a moment. Prompto wasn’t really paying attention. Gladio sighed.

“Can you at least look at me?”

Prompto glanced up, and the report slipped from his hand. His mouth fell open.

Gladio was on one knee, hand extended towards Prompto, a simple ring in his palm.

“Marry me?” Gladio asked softly.

Gladio thought Prompto’s eyes were going to fall out of his head. Prompto’s eyes darted from the ring in Gladio’s hand to Gladio’s face and back again. 

“Are you shitting me?” Prompto finally squeaked, his hand clutched to his chest.

Gladio shook his head, looking straight at Prompto. “No. I’m serious. Marry me. Now. Tonight.”

Prompto stared at the ring. This had to be a dream. Never in his wildest imagination had he thought Gladio would actually want to marry him. _Him._ Prompto Argentum, failed MT experiment, dude with lots of issues, who had a real problem growing a damn beard, and was afraid to show the man he loved his naked body. Gladio was asking him to marry him.

Gladio wanted to marry him.

Prompto couldn’t think. 

Gladio tilted his head, brows furrowed. “Did I break you?” he asked with a soft smile.

Prompto threw himself out of his chair, wrapping his arms tightly around Gladio’s neck. Gladio caught him with the arm not holding the ring.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes,” Prompto cried, kissing Gladio hard on the mouth. Gladio wanted him. Gladio accepted him for who he was, scars and all. “Yes, yes, a million times, yes!”

Gladio smiled widely against Prompto’s lips. He sat back and grabbed Prompto’s hand, sliding the ring onto his finger. Prompto stared at it. It was a simple band, tarnished silver, with tiny emerald chips set in it.

“Dino made them for me,” Gladio said into Prompto’s hair, pulling out a matching one and showing it to Prompto. 

“I bet he gave you so much crap,” Prompto said with a laugh. Gladio snorted, running his fingers over Prompto’s face. Prompto pressed a kiss against his thumb. 

Gladio took a shuddering breath and buried his face against Prompto’s hair, arms tightening around the other man. 

He had broken down on the hunt with Iris. They had made camp at the nearby haven, and she had asked how everything was going, and he had just wept. 

He missed Noctis. He missed Ignis, even if he tried to forget the man existed. He felt like his relationship with Prompto was slipping away. It was completely irrational and foolish, but he didn’t know what to do.

Iris had held him. She had become so strong; it took Gladio’s breath away. Iris patted his back and sat back.

“Ask him to marry you,” she said.

Gladio stared at her, mouth open. “What?”

She smiled at her brother’s foolishness. “You love him, right?”

Gladio nodded.

“And I know he loves you. So, marry him. Look, Gladdy, we could all die tomorrow, or next week, or next year. We don’t know what’s going to happen. So, I say marry him. Let him know how much you love him.”

Gladio stared at his sister. A scar cut across her left cheek, almost making her look like she had a permanent half smile. It didn’t detract from her beauty. It meant she was alive.

Like Prompto’s scars.

Gladio had pulled out his phone and called Dino. After threatening the man, the former journalist turned jewelry maker agreed to make the simple rings. As soon as he and Iris had gotten back to Lestallum, he had paid Dino for them and pocketed them.

And now Prompto was in his arms, laughing and pressing kisses against Gladio’s bearded jaw.

“Let’s go see Cor. He can marry us,” Gladio said softly.

“Now?” Prompto asked, his eyes wide.

Gladio nodded, standing up and setting Prompto on his feet. “Everyone is already here.”

“Okay,” Prompto said. “What am I supposed to wear?”

Gladio laughed and kissed Prompto. “Exactly what you’re wearing is perfectly fine.”

“Okay,” Prompto said, smiling against Gladio’s lips. They went downstairs. Iris squealed as soon as she saw them, throwing herself into their arms and kissing them both on the cheek.

She had gathered the main group; Cor, Monica, Talcott, Aranea, Biggs, Wedge, and herself. She had run to one of the greenhouses and had managed to get some flowers that she had weaved into crowns. Cor had looked at her like she was crazy. She had just blown him a kiss and finished the crowns. 

She dropped them on Gladio and Prompto’s head.

Everyone stood around Gladio and Prompto. Prompto slipped his ring back off his finger and handed it back to Gladio. Gladio handed Iris both rings, and Cor joined Prompto’s and Gladio’s hands. Talcott had Prompto’s camera, ready to immortalize the moment.

“I’ve never done this before,” Cor said.

“Me either,” Prompto said. Everyone laughed.

Cor looked at Gladio. “You want to say anything?”

“Yeah,” Gladio said, looking Prompto right in the eye. “Prompto, I take you as you are, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become. I swear to listen to you, and learn from you, to support you and accept your support, even when I’m being an ass. Just whack me over the head. I will celebrate your triumphs and mourn your losses as though they were my own. I will love you and have faith in your love for me, through all our years and all that life may bring us.”

“Wow,” Aranea said. 

Prompto’s eyes filled with tears as Gladio took the ring from Iris and slipped it back on Prompto’s finger. 

“I have no idea what to say,” Prompto said. 

“Just say whatever comes to mind,” Cor said softly.

“Okay…” Prompto said. “Um…” He blushed slightly, and took a deep breath and looked back at Gladio. He knew what he wanted to say.

“I choose you, Gladiolus Amicitia, in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in a hundred different versions of reality, I’d find you and choose you. Because of you, I can feel myself slowly becoming the me I’m supposed to be. I have seen the best of you and the worst of you, and I choose both, because I love you.”

He took the ring from Iris and slipped it on Gladio’s finger with trembling hands. Gladio smiled at him. Cor rested his hand over theirs.

“Before the six and good friends, I declare these two bonded for life. May they never falter in their love and loyalty for one another. I guess you can kiss the…husband, now?” Cor said, trying not to laugh.

Prompto leapt into Gladio’s arms, kissing him hard on the mouth. Iris laughed, clapping her hands together. Cor smiled and stepped back. Talcott kept taking pictures.

“Who knew the big guy could be so sappy?” Aranea said with a laugh, pouring shots for everyone. 

Gladio pulled back from Prompto and gestured rudely at her behind Prompto’s head. Prompto laughed, cuddling against him.

Monica brought out some light finger foods and Aranea passed out the shot glasses.

“To Gladio and Prompto,” she said, raising her glass, “may you always be each other’s light in the darkness.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Prompto said, clinking his glass against everyone else’s. 

They downed their shots. 

FFXV

Prompto stared at the ring on his finger. He was married. Holy shit, he was married. To Gladio. He was sure this had to be a dream. 

Gladio walked into their room, smiling at the sight of Prompto lying on the bed, left hand held above his face, staring at the ring.

His husband. Prompto was his husband. 

Gladio’s thumb ran over the ring on his own finger. He toed his boots off and locked the door behind him. He didn’t want to be interrupted. 

The party had gone on until Talcott had fallen asleep in his food. Gladio had carried the young man to his bed while Monica and Iris cleaned up the remnants of the party. Prompto had taken his camera and run up the stairs, wanting to look at the pictures Talcott had taken.

Gladio had thanked Cor for performing the ceremony and helped the others finish cleaning. Aranea finally told him to get his ass upstairs and make the most of his wedding night, discreetly pressing a small tube of lubricant into his hand.

Gladio leaned against the wall, just watching Prompto. Prompto knew he was in the room, and he finally lowered his hand and turned his head, smiling brightly at Gladio. His husband.

Gladio walked forward slowly, lowering himself onto the bed next to Prompto. He took Prompto’s hand, running his thumb over the ring.

“Hey,” Gladio said.

“Hi,” Prompto replied. He felt like his cheeks were going to fall off he was smiling so hard.

Gladio leaned over and pressed his lips against Prompto’s, kissing him gently. Prompto moaned softly, opening his mouth and running his tongue against Gladio’s lips. Gladio opened himself to Prompto, their tongues sliding across the other in an intimate dance.

Gladio pulled back slightly. Prompto panted, cheeks flushed, pupils wide. Gladio dropped his head, pressing his lips against each lovely freckle on Prompto’s face. Prompto giggled softly; Gladio’s hair tickled his skin.

Gladio kissed lower, dragging his lips over Prompto’s jaw, tongue flicking out and tasting his skin. Down his neck, nipping at his pulse point while Prompto writhed beneath him, soft pants filling the silence.

Gladio shifted, pressing his lips against the edge of Prompto’s shirt. Prompto tensed under him, and Gladio stayed where he was, pressing insistent kisses against Prompto’s shirt. Prompto slowly relaxed, and Gladio moved lower.

He pressed his lips over one of the scars, right over Prompto’s hip. Prompto was rigid, hands fisted in the sheets, eyes clenched shut.

“Prompto,” Gladio said softly, “Prompto, look at me.”

Prompto opened his eyes and looked at Gladio. Gladio’s chin rested against Prompto’s hip, one hand traced circles on Prompto’s ribcage, and the other supported Gladio’s weight. Gladio could see how tense Prompto was. He wanted to chase that tenseness away. He wanted to chase Prompto’s fear away.

“Prompto, I don’t care about your scars. They’re beautiful to me.”

Prompto’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “They’re hideous,” he said harshly.

Gladio shook his head. “No, they’re not. They mean you’re alive. They mean you’re here, with me, _married_ to me. You’re mine and I’m yours. If you never want to take your shirt off in front of me, well, that’s okay, but I’m not going to judge you because of your scars. You went through a terrible thing, and you _survived._ That’s what your scars mean to me.”

Prompto stared at him.

“You’re beautiful to me, Prompto. All of you.”

Prompto swallowed, blinking back tears. “Aranea was right, you really are a sap.”

Gladio chuckled, and Prompto had to bite back a moan. The feel of Gladio’s body against his while the big man laughed was amazing.

“Only for you,” Gladio said, pressing a kiss against Prompto’s hip again.

Prompto’s head fell back and he stared at the ceiling. Gladio thought his scars were beautiful? Prompto lifted his hand and looked at the ring on his finger, his wedding ring. It was right there, on his hand; real, tangible evidence that Gladio loved him, wanted him, had chosen him over all others.

Prompto took a deep breath and gently pushed Gladio’s head off his hip and sat up. Gladio watched him, a frown marring his face. Prompto closed his eyes. Gladio loved him. Gladio wouldn’t judge him.

He grabbed his shirt and pulled it off in one swift movement. He kept his eyes clenched shut, fists shaking at his sides.

Gladio’s mouth hung open. He hadn’t actually expected this. He’d meant what he said; if Prompto never wanted to take his shirt off in front of him, Gladio would still love him. 

He could see the scars clearly, thick and thin, some white, some pale red, circling Prompto’s abdomen and over his hips. 

Prompto’s eyes flew open when Gladio pressed his lips gently against one of the scars. He gently pushed Prompto back down, tongue slowly laving at the scar.

Prompto shuddered as Gladio moved to another scar, giving it the same attention. “Beautiful,” Gladio whispered against his skin.

“Beautiful,” he whispered again, moving to another scar. Prompto lay there. Was Gladio going to do that to all of his scars?

Yes, it seemed that he was. Gladio slowly moved from scar to scar, kissing and licking each one tenderly. Prompto’s hand rested on Gladio’s head, fingers buried in his hair. He felt Gladio’s teeth press gently into his skin.

Gladio rolled him over, showering attention on the scars across the back of his hips and lower back. Prompto ground himself into the bed. Gladio laughed against his spine and rolled Prompto over again.

He traced his finger over the circular scar around Prompto’s left nipple. He pressed his lips against the scar, tongue moving over it, carefully not touching the taught, rosy nipple that brushed his cheek. 

“Gladio!” Prompto hissed. Gladio laughed again and finally turned his attention to Prompto’s nipple. He pulled it into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth. Prompto’s back arched, pushing his nipple further into Gladio’s mouth. Gladio’s other hand came up to play with Prompto’s other nipple.

Gladio pressed gentle kisses along Prompto’s sternum, up his collar bone, neck, biting at his pulse point, before kissing him softly on the mouth.

“Beautiful,” Gladio whispered again. Prompto’s hands rested on his shoulders. He plucked at Gladio’s shirt.

“Off,” he said softly. Gladio straddled Prompto’s waist and sat up, pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside. Prompto stared at his chest. He ran his finger down the long scar that bisected the eagle over his left pec. Gladio leaned down and kissed Prompto again, their bare chests rubbing against each other.

Prompto groaned into Gladio’s mouth. Gods, that felt wonderful. He could feel Gladio’s nipples drag over his. His hips bucked against Gladio’s, and it was Gladio’s turn to moan at the feel of Prompto’s length digging against his through their pants. 

He wanted nothing more than to see his husband completely naked, crying his name, but he needed to take this slow. 

He felt Prompto’s hand scrambling at his belt, yanking it off and unbuttoning his pants. Gladio lifted himself off Prompto, kicking his pants off and tossing them aside. Prompto’s eyes locked on Gladio’s covered cock, straining away from his body, tenting his boxer briefs. Prompto could just make out a glimpse of that thick cock.

Prompto grinned at him. “Remember the first time I sucked you?”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “You really want to bring that up now?”

“It was kind of flattering that it barely took me touching you to make you come. You lasted longer the second time.”

Gladio leaned over Prompto, grabbing his left hand and pushing it against his straining cock. “You do this to me, Prompto. Only you.”

Prompto slid his hand under the waistband of Gladio’s briefs, wrapping his fingers around Gladio’s thick length. Gladio could feel the ring, cold compared to Prompto’s hand, and he kissed Prompto hard.

His fingers worked at Prompto’s pants while Prompto slowly stroked him. Prompto lifted his hips and Gladio shoved his pants down in one quick movement. He swallowed, staring at Prompto’s cock.

“Commando?”

“Honestly, hadn’t done any laundry,” Prompto said, blushing. Gladio took in the view of Prompto naked before him. His cock was swollen and the head was red, slit barely starting to drip with precome. 

Gladio kissed him, and Prompto shoved Gladio’s underwear down his thighs, his cock springing free. Gladio moaned as Prompto’s hand wrapped around him again. Gladio leaned over him, their cocks brushing.

They both groaned, Prompto’s head falling back as Gladio’s cock dragged over his. Gladio managed to push his underwear the rest of the way down his legs and tossed them aside. He kissed down Prompto’s neck again, down to his chest. He sucked on one nipple, and then the other. He moved lower, his tongue rolling over Prompto’s scars, to the scant hair around the base of his cock. 

He kissed around the base, burying his nose against Prompto. Prompto laughed breathlessly as Gladio’s hair fell against his thighs. He cried out as Gladio drew his tongue down Prompto’s length, swirling his tongue around the silk softness of the head, lapping Prompto’s precome into his mouth.

Gladio grabbed a pillow and stuck it under Prompto’s hips. Prompto watched him as Gladio slowly took Prompto’s entire length down his throat. Gladio’s nose was buried against his skin. Prompto cried out as Gladio swallowed around him. His dick was so far down Gladio’s throat, it felt remarkable.

Gladio moved his head slowly up, Prompto’s head resting just inside his mouth. He wrapped his lips around the head and sucked hard, Prompto’s hips bucking hard. Gladio took him all the way down again, feeling his throat stretch with Prompto’s girth. Prompto’s hand fisted in his hair, driving Gladio’s face hard onto his cock.

Gladio cupped Prompto’s balls, massaging them gently. He drew his head up Prompto’s cock, dragging his tongue along the veins on the underside, driving his tongue into Prompto’s slit as he released Prompto’s cock. A line of saliva connect them, snapping as Gladio pulled back.

He lifted Prompto’s hips and spread Prompto’s cheeks. He pressed gentle kisses against the underside of Prompto’s thighs, finally pulling Prompto’s balls into his mouth and sucking them for a moment. He released them, drawing his tongue down his perineum, before laying the flat of his tongue against Prompto’s hole.

Prompto cried out, his hips bucking wildly. They had never done this before (it was pretty much impossible with clothes on) and Gladio’s tongue probing his hole felt wonderful.

“Oh, gods, Gladio!”

“Feel good?” Gladio asked, putting Prompto’s legs over his shoulders.

“Yes, gods yes! Don’t stop!”

Gladio smiled and lowered his face back to Prompto’s ass, drawing his tongue around his rim. Prompto shook, Gladio’s name a chant on his lips. Gladio pressed one finger gently against Prompto’s puckered hole. Prompto bit his knuckle to muffle his cry. He could feel Gladio’s beard scraping against his skin.

Gladio closed his eyes as his finger sank into Prompto’s tight heat. He had dreamed of this for so long. Gladio ground his own hips against the bed, desperate for friction. 

He lapped at Prompto’s hole, dipping it in alongside his finger. Prompto writhed, his heels digging into Gladio’s back. Gladio sat back and reached over for the lube Aranea had given him.

Prompto watched through lidded eyes. “Where’d that come from?” he panted. It was hard to think. His cock dripped, twitching every time Gladio’s finger twisted inside him.

“Aranea’s wedding gift,” Gladio said hoarsely, popping the top with his teeth and squeezing it onto his hand. He pushed another finger inside Prompto, rubbing them back and forth. 

Prompto moaned as Gladio scissored his hole apart. Gladio pushed another finger in, watching as Prompto’s body swallowed his digits. 

“Please, Gladio, please!” Prompto yelled.

“I want to make sure you’re prepped, Prompto. I’m not small…”

“I know, gods, I know, but I want you so bad!”

Gladio pushed a fourth finger in past Prompto’s ring of muscle. He spread his fingers, watching in fascination as lube dripped from Prompto’s body.

“Enough, enough!” Prompto said, clawing at Gladio’s shoulders. “Please, Gladio!”

Gladio pulled his fingers out and wiped them on the bed, lowering Prompto’s legs and moving up his body to kiss him hard on the mouth. Prompto panted into his mouth as Gladio’s dick rubbed against his. 

Gladio sat back and coated his length in lube, rubbing excess around Prompto’s hole. Prompto spread his legs, and Gladio settled himself between them. He wrapped a hand around himself, lining up the head of his cock with Prompto’s waiting hole.

Prompto moaned as the head of Gladio’s dick pressed against him, his head slowly pushing inside of him. Prompto shouted, his cock twitching wildly against his stomach. 

Inch by torturous inch, Gladio pushed inside him until he bottomed out. Gladio looked down at Prompto’s face, dropping soft kisses against him.

“Gods, I love you,” Gladio whispered.

“I love you too,” Prompto panted, “now, move!”

Gladio laughed, pulling out and pushing back in. Prompto’s lube slicked walls tightened around him, reluctant to let him go. 

“You feel amazing, Prompto,” Gladio said, picking up the pace.

“Oh, yes, Gladio!” Prompto’s hips rose to meet his, his hand wrapping around his own cock, twisting and tugging in time to Gladio’s thrusts.

“So close, Gladio!” Prompto cried. He couldn’t believe that Gladio was inside him, kissing him, loving him, accepting him. Gladio had pushed him close to the edge with his mouth, and the feel of Gladio’s thick cock inside him was going to send him over the edge fast.

Gladio wrapped his hand over Prompto’s, reveling in the feel of their rings brushing against each other.

Gladio’s dick rubbed against Prompto’s prostate, and the blonde fell apart. He screamed Gladio’s name, his seed spilling over his and Gladio’s hands, spurting across his stomach. Gladio grunted, his balls tightening as he thrust faster inside of Prompto. He kept his hand around Prompto’s cock, milking every drop from him. 

“Close, Prompto,” Gladio whispered. His hair fell over his head, sticking to his brow with sweat. Prompto opened his eyes and reached a shaky hand up to brush the hair back. He listened to the lewd music of Gladio’s dick sliding in and out of him, skin slapping together, their short, gasping breaths, filling the air. 

“I love you, Gladiolus,” Prompto whispered, pulling Gladio’s head down to his for a searing kiss.

Prompto felt Gladio twitching deep inside him, and Gladio cried out into Prompto’s mouth as he came inside Prompto. Prompto tightened his muscles, pulling everything Gladio had to give from him. Gladio gave a couple of halfhearted thrusts, driving his seed deep inside Prompto. 

He collapsed, rolling sideways to not crush Prompto. Prompto whimpered as Gladio slipped from his ass. He could feel hot come trickle out of his loose hole and down his thighs. 

Gladio pulled him against his chest, dropping kisses against Prompto’s flushed skin.

“That was fucking amazing,” Prompto said.

Gladio laughed. “I completely agree. We’re good together,” he said, nuzzling Prompto’s cheek. He could feel Prompto’s seed drying on his skin, sweat gelling in the cool air.

“We’re great together,” Prompto corrected, “and you’re stuck with me forever.”

“Good,” Gladio said, drawing the blanket over both of them. They could clean up when they woke up. “Who knew you were such a screamer, though?” he said with a chuckle. “I bet everyone heard you.”

“I so don’t care,” Prompto muttered, his eyes fluttering shut. “Not like they didn’t know what we would be doing.”

Gladio’s thumbs traced Prompto’s scars, and Prompto didn’t flinch or pull away. Gladio loved him. All of him, scars and all.

They fell asleep, a tangled mess of sweaty limbs. Neither one had slept so soundly since before Altissia.

FFXV

Another month passed. They continued to plan the expedition to Costlemark. On night, after dinner, Prompto was sitting at the table, chin in his hand, staring blankly at the wall.

“Everything okay?” Gladio asked, sitting next to him.

“I think we should go see Ignis,” Prompto said suddenly, looking up at Gladio.

Gladio’s eyes widened, and he looked away briefly. He realized belatedly that he hadn’t heard from Cindy for a few months. He felt his gut twist. He had barely thought of Ignis since he and Prompto had gotten married. Prompto’s nightmares were far less after the wedding, and Gladio’s own dreams had tapered off. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” Gladio said. 

Two weeks later, it was decided that Monica would remain behind, but everyone else piled onto Aranea’s airship.

Iris and Talcott talked about how excited they were to see Ignis. They wondered what his reaction would be to Gladio and Prompto getting married. Prompto sat nervously next to Gladio, twisting his ring around his finger. Gladio covered his hand with his own, squeezing gently. 

Cor sat silently, wondering what they would find. Cid hadn’t contacted him about Ignis is a number of months. It was worrying.

The airship finally started its descent, coming to a soft landing in the middle of Hammerhead. The ramp dropped, and everyone filed out. 

No one came to greet them. A few hunters waved, but there was no sign of Cid, Cindy, or Ignis. Gladio felt a thread of unease twist through him.

The lights in the garage were on, so Gladio led the group to the garage. Cindy was elbow deep in the guts of some kind of animal, butchering it for meat.

She paused and looked up, her eyes widening in shock when she saw who had come into her garage.

Gladio’s eyes swept over her. She looked exhausted and worried. She stepped back from the animal, wiping her hands clean of blood. 

“Hey, Cindy,” Gladio said.

“Gladiolus,” Cindy said, nodding her head and walking over to the sink, scrubbing her hands vigorously.

“Is Ignis around?”

Cindy closed her eyes. Of course they would come looking for Ignis now. Of course they would suddenly decide they cared.

She turned off the faucet, drying her hands and turning to face them.

“You’re too late.”

“What do you mean?” Gladio asked softly, his heart thundering in his chest.

Cindy gave a half shrug. “Ignis is gone.”

“He’s dead?” Prompto said in horror. 

Cindy shrugged again. “I don’t know. He left almost five months ago.”

“Where did he go?” Cor asked, stepping forward.

Cindy looked up at him, her eyes hard. 

“Crown City. He went back to Insomnia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that Promptio satisfied ya'll. Please let me know what you think! :)


	27. Now-The Second Binding of Ignis Scientia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ardyn and Ignis bond over torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Midterms absolutely destroyed my soul this past week and a half, and when I did have free time, I didn't want to be sitting in front of my computer.  
> There is Ardnis sex in this chapter, bracketed by ##FFXV## again. Summary of sex scene in end notes.  
> I hope people are still enjoying this, dark as it is. If you are, please let me know. Please.  
> This chapter was hard to write.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> not beta-ed, all mistakes mine. FFXV doesn't belong to me.

“He went back to Insomnia?” Gladio asked in shock.

Cindy blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Yes. That’s what he said.”

“We’ve got almost no intelligence on the Crown City,” Cor said.

“And that means we can’t go after him?” Iris asked.

Cindy walked by them, fighting the urge to smack them. How dare they come back after more than three years and expect everything to be the same? 

Gladio followed Cindy, and the others quickly went after them. 

“Was Ignis…okay…when he left?” Gladio asked.

Cindy spun on him, her eyes flashing. “Now you care?”

Gladio’s eyes narrowed. Prompto put his hand on Gladio’s shoulder to stop him from stepping forward. 

“Of course I care!” Gladio snapped.

Cindy snorted. “Could’ve fooled me. You asked me to keep you updated on him when you left, and I did. Every week I sent you an update and you never once replied. You never once asked me to tell him something. You never once thought, ‘hey, it’s the prince’s birthday today, I wonder how the man he loved is doing!’ Did you even look at the texts I sent or did you just ignore them?”

Gladio opened his mouth, but Cindy wasn’t finished. 

“You left him here! He was sick, and heartbroken, and you left him! Ya’ll just ran off to Lestallum the moment you could, not even looking back to see if he was okay. How hard would it have been for you to just send a message just saying ‘tell Ignis we’re thinking of him’ or to get on your fancy airship and fly here to see him?”

“We’ve been busy,” Cor said.

Cindy rounded on him. “Busy! Too busy for someone who was so close to the prince that they became lovers? Someone who loved Noctis so much that he was broken when the prince left? I think ya’ll were just too damn scared to deal with Ignis, so you shoved him off on people he barely knew. Maybe you just hoped if you ignored him or pretended he didn’t exist, he’d just disappear. Well, I hope ya’ll are happy, because he did!”

“Prompto was hurting too,” Gladio snarled, taking a step forward.

“Ignis was hurt worse,” Cindy said bluntly. “You have no idea what it was like, watching him that first year. He wasn’t there. He would eat, sleep, but there was nothing there. He was gone. Maybe if he hadn’t been abandoned by people he once counted as his closest friends, he would’ve recovered.”

“Your texts said he got better,” Gladio said mulishly. 

“And you still never replied,” she snapped, poking him in the chest. “You’re a coward, Gladiolus. You ran away from a man that needed you. Don’t get me wrong, I know Prompto needed ya too, but do you have any idea how lonely Ignis was? An old man and a mechanic aren’t the best company in Eos, Gladiolus. You ran away, so you’re a coward.”

Gladio stepped forward, fists clenched. He was not a coward.

“Ignis must be a good fuck for you to defend him like this.”

Cindy spun to face him, face flushing with anger. Prompto pushed Gladio back, biting his lip. Gods, his husband was an idiot sometimes. He still had a tendency to speak without thinking. 

“Get out,” Cindy said, her voice low. 

“What?”

“You heard me,” Cindy said, “get back on that airship and get the hell out of my garage. You have no right to speak of Ignis that way. For your information, he is my _friend_. Unlike you, he will always be welcome in Hammerhead. Now, get!”

“Cindy-“ Cor started. She looked at him.

“All of you. I don’t care what you do. You think you can just waltz back here after _three years_ and expect everything to be fine? Just get out. Get back on your airship and get the hell away from me.”

Gladio took a step forward, Cor shoved him back. “Get on the airship,” Cor said, “now.”

Gladio spun on his heel and stalked back to the airship. Everyone else watched him silently. Cor turned back to Cindy.

“I apologize for his outburst. Even if we haven’t shown it, we are worried about Ignis. Do you know why he went to Insomnia?”

Cindy stared at him. “He didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask. He’s a capable man, Marshal.”

Cor took a deep breath. “Did he ever ask about us?”

“No,” Cindy said. “He didn’t want to impose on you, because he figured ya’ll didn’t care. Leave him be. He’ll either come back one day or he won’t. He’s beyond your reach now.”

Prompto bowed his head. Was this his fault? Had he driven them apart? No. He couldn’t think like that. He had thought Gladio and Cor were in contact with Ignis. He hadn’t realized they hadn’t actually been talking to him. His thumb traced the ring on his left hand, the proof that Gladio wasn’t always a callous asshole. 

“Let’s go, Cor,” Prompto said. He looked at Cindy. “If…if Ignis comes back, can you tell me instead of them?”

Cindy looked at him. She nodded sharply and turned away, walking back to the garage.

Iris and Talcott shuffled slowly back to the airship. Gladio sat on the jump seats, head cradled in his hands. Aranea looked out from the cockpit, arching her eyebrow. Iris shook her head slightly. She’d explain later.

Cor and Prompto climbed onto the airship. No one said anything. There was nothing they could say. Prompto sat next to Gladio, leaning against him slightly. Gladio just sat there, head in his hands. 

The airship powered up and lifted into the ever present darkness.

FFXV

Ignis had been in Insomnia more a little more than a month. He was staying in the palace, with Ardyn. He had figured out almost immediately where Ardyn was leading him. A small part of him wanted to protest when Ardyn led him up the stairs to the palace. 

Ardyn had seemed to know what he was thinking. “The city is rather dangerous, Ignis.”

“I can feel the daemons,” Ignis said softly, his hand on Ardyn’s shoulder as Ardyn guided him through the palace.

Ardyn smiled wickedly. “The daemons aren’t the most dangerous thing in Insomnia anymore. There are survivors. It’s been fascinating watching them.”

“Survivors?”

“Insomnia was home to millions of people, my dear man, and there weren’t many that were as lucky as you were. Many were killed, of course, when the wall fell. But those that lived…it’s been an absolute delight to watch them fall apart.”

That had been a month ago. Ignis hadn’t left the palace since then. Honestly, the only thing he wanted at the moment was a damn shave. He had, eventually, managed to start shaving on his own at Hammerhead thanks to the disposable razors Frankie brought from Lestallum on his runs. 

All Ardyn had was straight razors, and Ignis wasn’t stupid enough to try to shave blind with one of those.

But he had quite the beard starting, and he hated it. He scratched at his jaw, nails working into the wiry hair. He growled softly, fingers grasping for a razor. He held it in his hands, turning it over. He could do this. 

“Give it to me,” Ardyn’s voice came from behind him. Ignis turned slightly, frowning. He didn’t want to give Ardyn the razor. He was a little worried that Ardyn would just cut his throat instead of shaving him.

Ardyn’s fingers plied the razor from his fingers with a huff. “I’m not going to cut your throat, Ignis.”

“You would in the dreams…” Ignis muttered.

“Of course I would,” Ardyn said, brushing cream over Ignis’ jaw. “You wouldn’t really be dead. If I was to cut your throat here, you would die, and I would lose my favorite play thing.”

“Nice to be appreciated,” Ignis said. Ardyn pushed Ignis’ chin back. Ignis froze as the razor slid against his skin.

It was strangely intimate; Ardyn gently dragging the blade over his face, fingers tilting his chin back and forth. Ignis didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure there was anything to say. 

“There,” Ardyn said, wiping the vestiges of the shaving cream from Ignis’ face and neck. “Better?”

“Yes,” Ignis said softly. “Thank you.”

“So polite,” Ardyn muttered. He stepped back and looked at Ignis. Ignis’ hair hung past his shoulders, the scars standing out vividly on his face. Ardyn reached out and touched Ignis’ hair, running his fingers through it. Ardyn leaned forward and inhaled. Ignis had taken a shower before attempting to shave. 

“I think you’re ready, Ignis,” Ardyn whispered against his neck. It was a good thing Ignis hadn’t wanted the beard, Ardyn thought wryly. He looked far too much like-

No. 

This was Ignis. Ignis was not _him._ Ignis was his plaything. 

He would make sure Ignis stayed clean shaven. It was better for everyone involved. 

“Ready for what?” Ignis said, leaning back against Ardyn slightly. He had spent the month get reacquainted with the Citadel. Much of it was in ruins, and he had slowly managed to readjust his mental map.

He avoided Noctis’ room. He avoided thinking about Noctis at all costs. He locked that part of him away and tried to forget. It was easier to forget Noctis when Ardyn touched him, when Ardyn taught him things, taught him to use the Darkness.

“To see where daemons come from,” Ardyn said, biting Ignis’ neck. Ignis’ breath caught in his throat.

“Come,” Ardyn said, pulling away and tugging Ignis to his feet. Ignis stood and ran his hand over his smooth jaw. It had been a while since his last lesson.

He followed the sound of Ardyn’s footsteps, echoing around the silent hallways.

FFXV

Ardyn led him to the bowels of the Citadel. The dungeons hadn’t been used often in Regis’ day, only for the most violent offenders. Ardyn had taken over. Most of Ignis’ lessons had taken place in the dungeons.

As they descended deeper, Ignis could feel the little flickers of Darkness reaching out to him, the very thing that signified daemons. Ignis frowned. It felt different, somehow. Ardyn smiled at Ignis’ frown.

“What do you feel?”

“It’s different,” Ignis said, “not as…coherent?”

“Very good,” Ardyn said, putting his hand on Ignis’ arm and leading him down another hallway. 

“Are these weaker daemons?” Ignis asked.

“They’re not daemons, yet,” Ardyn said with a smile. 

Ignis paused, turning his head to Ardyn. “Yet?”

“Didn’t I tell you that daemons used to be human? Or maybe I told dear Noct. So hard to keep track of these things.”

Ardyn stopped him and opened a thick door. Ignis felt a rush of cold air hit his face, and wrinkled his nose at the smell that wafted from the room; blood, feces, and sickness.

“Yes, the smell is quite awful,” Ardyn said, guiding Ignis through. Ignis could hear someone whimpering in the room. 

Ardyn looked at the men chained to the center of the room. Once crown citizens, they were no better than animals now. He smiled, placing his hand on the small of Ignis’ back and leading him forward.

“Can you feel it, Ignis? Every person has it; that Darkness inside of them, waiting to be twisted by the Starscourge.”

Ignis stood there, his head tilted slightly. He could feel it. It was different than the daemons Ardyn had introduced him to. The Darkness inside daemons was a living, twisted thing. What he felt in front of him was like comparing a candle flame to a bonfire. But it was there.

“Yes,” Ignis said, taking a deep breath. 

Ardyn led him to the man on the end. “How many are in this room?”

Ignis didn’t answer for a moment. “Five.”

“Good,” he said. He took Ignis’ hand and placed it on the chest of the man directly in front of them. Ignis’ lip curled in disgust. The man (it was clearly a man’s chest) was thin and dirty. Ignis could feel dirt and dried blood under his hand. It was quite disgusting.

Ardyn stood behind Ignis, their bodies pressed together. He rested his chin on Ignis’ shoulder. “Hideous things, aren’t they? The pathetic remnant of a once proud crown citizen. Reach for that Darkness, Ignis, just like when you take it from a daemon.” Ardyn’s voice was soft, running down Ignis’ back like fur. 

Dark flame engulfed Ignis’ hand. The man chained before him started to scream, fighting to get away from the scarred person in front of him. The other men strained, chains rattling. They were certain that the two men before them were daemons. Only daemons appeared with black fire around them. 

Ignis growled. He backhanded the man hard. Ardyn smiled, pressing his lips against Ignis’ neck. Ignis was glorious when he let the Darkness out. It was almost like Ignis was two different people; one, the man he had helped shave earlier, and the other, a man who seemed to enjoy torture as much as he did.

The chained man whimpered, hanging limply in his chains. Darkness writhed around his body like a living thing.

Ignis felt that tiny spark inside the man. He could almost see the evil thoughts inside the man’s head, things he had wanted to do, things he had done; all of it fed the Dark flame deep inside him. 

“You’ve found it?” Ardyn whispered, his stubble grazing Ignis’ cheek. Ignis nodded, rubbing his face against Ardyn’s. 

“Now, feed it,” Ardyn said, resting his hand on Ignis’ hip. “Make it grow until it takes over everything the man is.”

The Darkness around Ignis’ hand grew, concentrating and growing darker. It narrowed into a point, driving into the man’s chest. A high, thin wail escaped the man’s throat. Ardyn smiled, eyes bright as he watched.

Ignis’ lips curled in a snarl. This was much harder than taking the Darkness from daemons.

“Difficult, isn’t it?” Ardyn asked.

“He’s fighting me,” Ignis said.

“Yes, most do. They don’t like to give up their human forms. Let me help,” Ardyn said, covering Ignis’ hand with his own. Ignis felt Ardyn’s Darkness wrap around him, caressing him, and then stinging him at the same time. Pleasure and pain rolled into one. The dark flame wrapped around both of their hands, driving down the chained man’s throat and silencing his cries. 

“There,” Ardyn whispered.

Ignis bared his teeth, a low growl slipping through his parted lips. He felt it the moment his Darkness pierced the flickering Darkness inside the man. It twisted around that tiny flickering thing, making it stronger, bigger, darker.

The man screamed. Ignis’ hand convulsed over the man’s heart, nails digging into dirty flesh. Ignis felt blood run under his hand, warm flesh turning cold against his fingers. He remembered what Ardyn had said about daemons not generating body heat like humans. He could feel the man’s flesh turn scaly and cold. His scream changed, becoming more bestial and rage filled.

A moment later it was over. Ignis slumped against Ardyn. Ardyn’s arm went around him, holding him up. He stared down at the goblin, kicking too large shackles off its emaciated feet. The goblin looked up at them and hissed, baring tiny pointed fangs.

The four remaining men stared in horror at their former companion. The daemon scratched its ear, staring at the four humans with glowing eyes. Ardyn and Ignis turned their heads towards the four men, identical smiles on their faces.

The men started to scream.

“Turn them all,” Ardyn whispered in Ignis’ ear, nipping at Ignis’ earlobe.

They moved to the next man, and the next. Ardyn had to help Ignis, but he let Ignis take the lead. He could feel Ignis panting in his arms, trying to turn the men on his own. He just wasn’t strong enough.

Yet.

Ignis lost track of how long they had been in the dungeons, funneling Darkness into the men and changing them. He was exhausted. His body trembled, and the only reason he hadn’t collapsed was Ardyn’s arm firmly around his waist. 

“One more, Ignis,” Ardyn said softly, “and then you can rest.”

The last remaining man had stopped screaming a while ago. He was crying now. He was utterly terrified of the two men in front of him. They were everything nightmares were made of. His friends were daemons, and he knew he was next.

“I have a better idea,” Ignis said, leaning heavily against Ardyn. Ardyn arched his eyebrow, nudging Ignis’ cheek with his nose.

“Do tell.”

“You said there are survivors in the city?”

Ardyn looked at him. “Yes. These men were from the city.”

Ignis smiled. “Send this one back to them.”

Ardyn smiled. Oh, that was evil. The man would spread the word of how daemons were made, that there were two men who could, and would, take their humanity away. 

It was something Ardyn would do.

Ardyn knew that Ignis was exhausted, shaking in his arms. He figured that was one of the reasons Ignis suggested letting the last man go.

But the very fact that Ignis had suggested it, had smiled wickedly while turning the others, made Ardyn smile.

“That is a lovely idea,” Ardyn said, snapping his fingers. The four recently turned goblins scuttled up to the man, undoing his chains. The man collapsed, curling into a ball and whimpering. 

Ardyn looked down at the man, lips curled in a sneer. “You heard him. Go. Spread the word.”

The man rose to his hands and knees and scrambled towards the door, throwing it open and disappearing into the hallway. The goblins chittered, leaping around Ignis and Ardyn. Ignis kicked out, his foot catching one in the ribs. It flew halfway across the room, crying pathetically.

It wanted to please its masters, both of them; the scarred one and the powerful one. They were both as gods to it. 

Ardyn flicked his hand at the goblins, and they scuttled away, vanishing into the shadows. Ignis was a heavy weight against him. Ardyn nuzzled his neck.

“You were magnificent, Ignis,” he whispered.

Ignis turned his face towards Ardyn’s voice. “Does it get easier?” he rasped.

“Oh, yes,” Ardyn said, dragging his lips over Ignis’ jaw. “You simply have to practice.”

Ignis nodded.

“Come, let us get out of this stench,” Ardyn said, keeping one arm around Ignis as he led him from the room. Ignis leaned against him. He stumbled, fatigue and exhaustion catching up to him.

He felt stronger after drinking the Darkness, he figured it made sense that he would feel weaker after shoving it into a person to change them.

There was a part of him that was horrified at what he had just done. It was the same part of him that he kept locked away, the part that would never stop loving Noctis. He couldn’t imagine what Noctis (or the others, for that matter) would think of what he had just done.

It had felt good. It made him feel powerful.

It made him feel vile.

One of his arms went over Ardyn’s shoulders, keeping him up. He hated what Ardyn was turning him into.

He loved what Ardyn was turning him into.

Ignis sighed as Ardyn lowered him to a bed. 

“Sleep, Ignis,” Ardyn said. “We’ll continue when you wake.”

Ignis drifted to sleep, distant screams from the city filtering through the open window.

FFXV

Months slowly bled away, and Ignis learned to harness the Darkness inside of the people of Crown City. Ardyn delighted in watching Ignis turn humans into daemons. It amused him to think of how horrified Noctis would be when he learned what his beloved advisor had become.

The people of Insomnia had turned almost feral. They had formed tribes, and those who wandered into the territory of another tribe were not treated mercifully. Ignis had heard that at least one of the urban tribes was cannibalistic.

Offerings had started to appear at the gates of the Citadel, sacrifices for the two dark men residing inside. Ardyn had laughed when he realized what was happening. Sometimes, various tribes would leave people tied to the steps. Ignis and Ardyn always accepted those offerings, turning the people and sending them back out into the city.

It was amusing. 

Ignis tried not to think about what he was doing. He tried not to think about the sex, the violence, the emotions behind his relationship with Ardyn.

It wasn’t love. 

No, he hated Ardyn. He hated how much he needed Ardyn. He hated how his body reacted to Ardyn’s caresses, he hated how Ardyn knew exactly where to touch him to bring him to his knees. He hated how Ardyn wouldn’t touch him for a month, and Ignis would crave his taste, his skin, his touches, his cock.

He hated it when Ardyn took him against his will. He loved being the one to take Ardyn when Ardyn wasn’t expecting it. He knew that Ardyn could overpower him, and sometimes he did, flipping the script and pounding Ignis with a vengeance.

Never enough to kill him, of course, but enough to hurt him, oh yes. Ignis would sometimes be incapacitated for days when Ardyn was done with him. 

Ignis walked slowly through the palace, hands behind his back. He wore the clothes Ardyn gave him. He wished he could see the clothing, it felt very fine. He wore tall boots, tight pants, and a loose fitting shirt with a long jacket over it. His hair was tied back in a loose tail at his neck. 

Ardyn liked it when he dressed like this. He didn’t ask why. He had made that mistake once. It hadn’t ended well. If Ardyn wanted him to wear these clothes, he would. They were probably blood spattered at the moment. He hoped Ardyn wouldn’t be too displeased.

He could feel the daemons and the people in the city. He had taken trips into the city, moving slowly through the ruined streets, drinking down the Darkness of daemons.

He was returning from one of those trips into the city. He had been cornered by a tribe of survivors. Twelve of them, laughing and poking at him, telling him what parts they were going to cut from his body, what parts they were going to eat first. 

It had been so easy, killing them. He had never killed an actual human before. Yes, he had killed countless daemons and beasts, and had turned humans into daemons, but the killing of actual humans he had never done.

Until that day.

His daggers had appeared in his hands so easily, so quietly, that the first man hadn’t even realized what had happened when Ignis drove the blade up into the bottom of the man’s jaw. He had spun away, slicing the stomach open of another.

Human skin parted so easily under the blades. He had been so used to daemons and beasts that he had perhaps used more force than necessary. He scratched absentmindedly at his face, dried blood coming off under his nails.

Ardyn sat on the throne, one leg thrown over the arm rest. He was bored. He looked up as the door opened and Ignis walked in. His eyebrow shot up. Ignis was completely spattered in blood.

“My, what have you been up to?”

Ignis’ lips twitched in a smile as he arrived at the foot of the steps and moved towards Ardyn.

“I went for a walk.”

“And wandered into a blood bath?”

Ignis stood next to him, his sightless eye staring through Ardyn. “Essentially, yes. I’m afraid there are twelve less tribe members out there.”

Ardyn laughed. “They must not have heard about the blind man twisting their forms into nightmares.” He reached out and ran his hand up Ignis’ chest, fingering the many buttons on his jacket.

The clothing had been the height of court fashion about 2000 years ago. Ignis didn’t need to know that, though. 

He popped one of the buttons open, and another, nails dragging over the shirt under the jacket.

“And tell me, Ignis, how easy was it to destroy those pathetic excuses for humans?” He undid the last button and shoved the jacket off. It puddled on the floor at Ignis’ feet. Ardyn twisted his hands in the lace at the collar of Ignis’ shirt, tugging the blind man down.

Ignis leaned over Ardyn, the other man’s fingers shoving under his shirt and tracing the faded, self-inflicted scars across Ignis’ abdomen. 

“Disgustingly simple,” Ignis said. He could feel Ardyn’s hair tickling his nose. 

“And you could’ve stopped at any time, right?”

Ignis pressed his nose into Ardyn’s hair. “I could’ve.”

“But you didn’t,” Ardyn said, hand cupping Ignis’ jaw. “I’m so proud of you.”

He pressed his lips against Ignis’, and Ignis braced his hand on Ardyn’s knee, chasing the kiss. Their tongues battled. Ignis hummed into his mouth.

Ardyn tasted of Darkness, death, and a fine wine. Ignis knew he was addicted to it. It was so much better than what he took from the daemons. He couldn’t get enough of Ardyn in these moments.

Ardyn dragged Ignis onto his lap. He was going to fuck Ignis on the throne, on Noctis’ throne.

Ignis ground against Ardyn’s lap, swallowing the other man’s chuckles. Moments like these, Ignis tried to just lose himself in the sensation of another person’s touch. He tried to forget that it was Ardyn’s hands pulling his shirt over his head, dragging nails and lips over his skin.

Ardyn was the only person who touched him anymore. He missed being touched, he craved it, and Ardyn was the only one who would give it to him.

Ardyn knew it, and Ignis hated him for it. But he needed him, craved him, depended on him. 

He hated him.

He needed him.

Ignis knew they were sitting on the throne. He tried not to think about it. 

Ardyn bit his lower lip, sucking it into his mouth. His fingers traced the scars on Ignis’ face. Ignis moaned into his mouth, fingers digging into Ardyn’s shoulders.

##FFXV##

His hands dipped lower, opening Ardyn’s pants and freeing his straining cock. Ardyn laughed into Ignis’ mouth.

“So needy, Ignis. I guess you do deserve a reward for taking those vile humans out.”

“Yes,” Ignis whispered, dragging his teeth over Ardyn’s jaw. Ardyn cupped Ignis through his pants, quickly undoing the archaic laces straining over Ignis’ length. He shoved Ignis’ pants down over his thighs. Taking the boots off would take far too long.

“Stand up,” Ardyn growled, shoving Ignis off him slightly. Ignis stood up, panting. Ardyn’s eyes traveled over Ignis’ body. He was lean and Ardyn could see his ribs under a thin layer of muscle. He would have to start training Ignis to fight again, build that muscle up. Ignis took a deep breath, and Ardyn lifted his hips and pushed his own pants down. 

Ardyn looked back at Ignis. The blind man’s pants were bunched around his knees, cock jutting away from his body, the slit barely glistening with fluid. Ardyn licked his palm and took his own cock in hand, pumping himself a few times for good measure. 

Ignis could hear Ardyn working on himself, but he knew better than to touch himself. His cock twitched when he heard Ardyn laugh. 

“Turn around, Ignis.”

Ignis shuffled awkwardly around. It was hard to move with his pants acting as hobbles. Ardyn put one hand on Ignis’ hip and drew him backwards. With one hand on Ignis’ hip and the other wrapped around his cock, he pulled Ignis down onto his lap. 

His cock slid in between Ignis’ cheeks, pressing against his hole. With one hand, Ardyn wrapped his hand around Ignis’ ponytail and snapped his head back, pressing his teeth along his jaw, leaving red marks that would fade into bruises.

Ignis stifled a yell as Ardyn pushed him down onto his cock. His ass burned as Ardyn’s cock stretched him. Tears leaked from the corner of his right eye, hands clenching the arm rests of the throne.

Gods, it hurt. He couldn’t silence the cry that escaped his lips. Ardyn sank his teeth into Ignis’ neck. His hips bucked against Ignis’ ass, driving his cock deep into Ignis’ heat. 

Ardyn loved the helpless, pained noises that tore from Ignis. He growled against Ignis’ neck, putting his hands on Ignis’ hips and slamming the blind man down onto his cock. 

Ardyn was close. 

“You like this, don’t you, Ignis? When I take you like this, on the throne? Just imagine, you could be riding Noct like this, but instead, you’re here, with my cock buried inside you. For the rest of your life, you’ll remember this moment.”

“Shut up,” Ignis panted.

Ardyn laughed, tugging on Ignis’ hair. He wrapped one hand around Ignis’ dripping cock and twisted hard. Ignis’ hips bucked, another cry tearing from his lips. Ardyn drove his thumb into Ignis’ slit. He knew it hurt.

Ardyn shifted, his cock brushing Ignis’ prostate. Ignis screamed, and Ardyn laughed again, reveling in the sound. Ardyn slammed his dick into Ignis, hitting that spot over and over until Ignis came into his hand.

“You seem to have to a thing for kings of Lucis,” Ardyn whispered, his balls tightening as he emptied himself into Ignis’ ass. Ignis cried out again. He didn’t understand what Ardyn meant by those words.

Ardyn placed his hand on the back of Ignis’ neck, gently pushing him off of his cock and onto the floor. Ignis lay there, come and blood leaking from his ass. Ardyn tucked himself back into his pants and tugged at the cuffs of his shirt. 

“You’re doing so well, Ignis.” He walked by the whimpering man and down the stairs, a smile on his face.

Ignis curled onto his side, panting hard. His ass hurt, and his insides hurt. He trembled, tears still leaking from his right eye. 

Gods, he hated that man.

##FFXV##

More time passed, and Ardyn was bored. Ignis could turn people on his own, wielding Darkness like he was born to it. It amused Ardyn, but he was getting bored. 

He was getting bored with Ignis. It was time to up the ante. 

He stood next to Ignis in the dungeons. Ignis waited patiently before him, bare chest rising and falling.

“You’ve been able to drink Darkness for years now,” Ardyn said, walking around him, “and you’ve been able to turn men into monsters for months. You’ve been here in Insomnia almost a year. It’s time to teach you the next step.”

Ignis didn’t say a word. He just stood there, listening to Ardyn’s footsteps echo around the chamber.

“Darkness can be used as a weapon, Ignis. Not simply a tool to change those too weak to fight it, not simply something to make you stronger, but something that you can wield to bring others to their knees.”

Ardyn stepped closer, fingers brushing Ignis’ lower back. “I can show you, if you want to learn.”

Ignis swallowed. Did he want to learn? Did he want to follow Ardyn farther down this path?

No.

Yes.

He didn’t, but he did. He felt so powerful when he used Darkness. It was a way for him to feel relevant, useful. The Darkness as a true weapon would be…

Wonderful. Horrifying.

“Yes,” Ignis whispered.

“Good,” Ardyn said. He reached up and grabbed one of the chains hanging from the ceiling. He took Ignis’ wrist and locked it in place. Ignis turned his head, a frown on his face.

“This is going to hurt, Ignis,” Ardyn said, shackling his other wrist. He stood in front of Ignis and pulled the other man’s pants down, tossing them away. Ignis stood before him, naked, arms in the air, chest heaving. Ardyn could see his pulse hammering in his neck. 

Ardyn ran his fingers over Ignis’ chest, tracing down to his hip. He had whipped Ignis before. Not often since Ignis had joined him in the city, but it had been a common theme in the dreams. 

When Ardyn had done it outside the dreams, he had been careful. Now, he finally got to play.

It was a pity Ignis couldn’t see what was about to happen. 

Ardyn stood behind him, hands held loosely at his sides. His eyes glowed briefly, Darkness raising from his skin and twisting around him. The dark fire gathered at his hand, like a long snake writhing in his grasp.

With a flick of his wrist, the trail of dark flame snapped against Ignis’ back. He screamed, his body arching in the chains. 

“The only thing you need to understand about Darkness, my dear Ignis, is one only needs the desire to use it,” he said, whipping Ignis again. The Darkness, unlike the whip he had used in the past, split Ignis’ back. Blood flowed down his body, dripping onto the floor. Ardyn thought he could see flashes of bone amongst the red.

Ignis sobbed. He had thought the pain that had lived behind his eyes following Altissia had been bad, but that was nothing compared to the Darkness tearing into his back. 

“You have to just _want_ it, Ignis. That’s the secret to life, you just take what you want, and the Darkness does what you want.”

Ardyn could barely hear his own voice over Ignis’ screams. The Darkness caressed Ardyn at the same time that it destroyed Ignis. 

Ignis hated Ardyn. He hated Ardyn with every fiber of his being. The pain from his back drove every other thought from his body. The only thing he knew was hate, and Darkness.

Ardyn watched as Ignis’ body was engulfed by the familiar purple black fire. It would be so easy to change him into a daemon, force his body into a change. 

But Ardyn wouldn’t do that. It would hurt Noctis far more to see Ignis standing next to Ardyn, face perfect except for the scars over his eye. If Ignis was a daemon, he would just be another daemon. Noctis could kill him and never be any wiser. And that wouldn’t be entertaining at all. 

The flame around Ignis’ body drove towards Ardyn, slamming into his chest and driving him back. Ardyn laughed delightedly.

“Very good, Ignis!”

The dark flame disappeared. Ignis slumped in the chains, blood flowing freely down his back. Ardyn walked around him, staring at his face. Tears traced his cheeks, his lips were parted, breath wheezing from his mouth.

Ardyn grasped Ignis’ chin in his hand. “What do you feel, Ignis?”

Ignis whimpered. His back hurt so much. He hated that man. He hated him.

“Hate you,” Ignis managed to whisper.

“Good,” Ardyn said. He could use that hate. He summoned a dagger and sliced his palm. This, this was going to hurt Noctis worse than anything. He stared at the blood slowly leaking from his hand. It was barely red anymore, more like black with red tints throughout it. 

He pressed his bleeding palm against Ignis back. Ignis cried out, fighting to get away from Ardyn. He didn’t know what Ardyn was doing, but whatever it was just added more pain.  
Their blood mixed. 

Ardyn smiled, leaning his body against Ignis’.

“Hate, Ignis, is just as powerful as love.”

Ignis cried out when he felt the bond snap into place between them. It hadn’t been like when Noctis had bound him out of love and loyalty; this was a bond of pain, and violence, and hatred.

Ardyn stepped back, wiping his palm on his pants. He stared at the thin scar across his palm. Ignis hung limply in the chain, crying softly.

Ardyn reached up and undid the shackles, gathering Ignis’ bleeding body to him. He carried the man slowly through the palace, a blood trail following them. Ignis struggled to get away from him, but was in too much pain to fight him.

Ardyn carried him straight into Noctis’ old room and dropped Ignis on the bed. 

“Sweet dreams, Ignis,” Ardyn said, patting him on the cheek. He shut the door behind him as he left.

Ignis curled onto his side, face buried in the pillow beneath his face. It smelled faintly of Noctis. Ignis whimpered. He was bound to Ardyn through blood and magic. Gods above, he was bound to Ardyn.

His fingers grasped at the blankets, inhaling Noct’s faint scent.

Noctis would never forgive him for this. 

Every little movement sent lightning bolts of pain through Ignis’ body. He wept bitter tears, and finally, mercifully, he fell unconscious.

FFXV

Ardyn, sitting on the throne, ran his finger over the scar on his palm and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardnis summary: Ardyn decides to 'reward' Ignis for taking out the group of humans. He pulls down Ignis' pants and turns him around, making Ignis ride him on the throne with no prep or lube. He makes Ignis come, saying that Ignis seems to have a thing for kings of Lucis. He finishes, leaving Ignis at the base of the throne. 
> 
> Lemme know what ya'll think.


	28. Now-The Monster of Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis does bad things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a couple of notes: the translation I used for the name SKAELING comes from John Ringo's 'Islands of Rage and Hope'. Seriously, part of my favorite book series ever.   
> Ignis is not a good man in this chapter. Ardnis bracketed by ##FFXV##. Fair warning, Ignis is the aggressor in the sex this time around.  
> A few more chapters of the timeskip left. Please let me know what ya'll think of this chapter.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- The Monster of Insomnia

There was a monster living in Insomnia.

Once, parents had told their children stories of a terrible creature that prowled the streets at night, preying on naughty children. No one knew what the monster looked like, only that it was clad in nothing but shadows, with glowing eyes. They called it Skaeling. 

But it was just a story. Everyone knew that, a story to make children behave.

Until the long night fell. 

Insomnia, already chaotic after the collapse of the wall, fell into all-out war. It started quietly. People began to form groups, charismatic leaders took point. At first, they worked on getting the young and the old out of the city, trying desperately to avoid daemons, and outlaws.

And then the food ran out. Those who were left started to battle over what consumable stores could be found. It took a little more than three years for the population of the city to turn nearly tribal, and for them to constantly be at war with one another.

Five men disappeared from one of the tribes, taken by shadows. The leader of the tribe wrote them off. People disappeared all the time in the long night. Daemons waited around every corner, cannibalistic humans waited for any opportunity to pounce on the unlucky hunter, so while he was unhappy to lose five of his best men, he didn’t send anyone out looking for them. Things like that happened in Insomnia now. 

Then, one of the men came back. He told them a horrible story. He had been held captive at the Citadel, deep in the bowels of the dungeon. He told them how they had been chained up alone in the cold for days, until two men came to them. 

The tribe hadn’t wanted to believe that the two well-dressed men had turned the other four into goblins. It couldn’t be possible, they said, that humans could be turned into daemons. Daemons simply existed, everyone knew that.

It was hard to dismiss the pure terror in the man’s voice.

They said the man had clearly snapped. Perhaps he had run into a rival tribe and they had beaten and the man had escaped. They dismissed his claims of two men who could turn people into daemons. 

The man was terrified, and disappeared not long after that. He had to get out of the city. He didn’t want to ever be caught by those men ever again.

It wasn’t long after he disappeared that other people started vanishing near the Citadel. The number of daemons in Insomnia seemed to increase.

People started whispering about monsters living in the palace. People started leaving offerings at the gates to the Citadel. They figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes, they even left humans tied up.

Four years after the night fell, a monster started prowling the streets of Insomnia. The monster left bodies in a swath behind it. Entire tribes of people were either found completely destroyed, or they had simply vanished without a trace. The number of daemons increased.

The people gave the monster a name. They called it Skaeling, because what else would they call a monster that prowled the streets of Insomnia? There were rumors that one or two people had seen Skaeling, and that it was a man that trailed Darkness behind him with daemons as retainers.

Terror fell upon Insomnia.

FFXV

Cor lowered the report and dropped his head into his hands. If half the reports coming out of Insomnia were true…

“Damn it,” he snarled.

They’d had no word about Ignis for over a year. Prompto had repaired their relationship with Cindy, and he and Gladio went to Hammerhead once a month to organize hunts. Cindy still hadn’t entirely forgiven Gladio, but Cor was pretty sure that Gladio still hadn’t forgiven himself for what he had said. 

Cor was going to have to tell everyone that Ignis was most likely dead. There was no way a blind man could survive Insomnia, not if what his hunters said was true. 

Cor stood up and walked into the common area of the Leville. Prompto was cleaning his guns, Gladio and Iris were sharpening blades, and Talcott was sorting consumables. Cor dropped into a chair across from them.

“What’s up?” Gladio asked, setting his sword down.

“You know I’ve been sending groups of hunters to observe Insomnia from a distance, right?”

Gladio nodded. They had had a rather heated argument when Cor had started sending people to Insomnia. Gladio and Prompto had both wanted to go and look for Ignis. Cor had told them that his people weren’t actually going into the city, simply watching it from a distance. Gladio had finally relented.

“The reports I’ve gotten back aren’t good,” Cor said, scrubbing at his face.

“What do you mean?” Prompto asked, leaning against Gladio. Gladio put his arm over the smaller man and pulled him tight against him. 

“From what they’ve seen, the survivors have banded into tribes, and they war with each other. But the most disturbing development has happened recently. A few of the people from the city escaped, and ran into the group of observers. They said there’s a monster in Insomnia.”

“A monster?” Talcott asked.

Cor gave a half shrug. “The informants were exhausted, terrified, and half dead. They described a man cloaked in shadows with daemons at his beck and call, cutting through humans and daemons alike with no discrimination.”

“Ardyn,” Gladio said darkly, “I’d bet anything that son of a bitch is sowing terror around Insomnia.”

“Maybe,” Cor said, watching Prompto wiggle closer to Gladio. Cor took a deep breath. “I’m not sending anyone else to Insomnia. It’s not safe.”

There was a moment of somewhat shocked silence. 

“What about Ignis?” Iris asked quietly. 

Cor’s shoulders slumped slightly. “It’s been over a year. I think we have to assume the worst.”

More silence.

“I know it’s bad,” Cor said, staring at his hands. “There’s been no sign of Ignis. He hasn’t contacted Cindy, none of my people have seen hide nor hair of the man. We can’t keep sending valuable resources after a man that…that if he is alive, probably doesn’t want to be found.”

“Especially by us,” Prompto said softly, sitting up straight. Everyone looked at him. Prompto shrugged. “We abandoned him. Twice. The first time when we got back from Gralea, and then when we never tried to contact him.”

Gladio turned away, fighting a frown. He regretted what he had said to Cindy, and he knew that he needed to work on thinking before he opened his mouth, but he couldn’t go back. His relationship with Cindy was civil, at least. Thanks to Prompto. Prompto had been helping him keep his temper under control. Marrying Prompto had been the best thing he could’ve done. It was hard to believe they had been married just over a year. 

“Insomnia is a massive city, and with these tribes of people, I wouldn’t want to send less than our entire contingent of hunters,” Cor said.

“Which we can’t do,” Iris said with a sigh. 

“Which we can’t do,” Cor agreed.

“So now what?” Talcott asked.

“We try to get this damn Costlemark expedition going,” Cor said. “We’ve been sidetracked for years. I want to get down there.”

Prompto nodded and stood up. He disappeared up the stairs and came back a few minutes later, a framed photo in his hands. He walked over to the fireplace and set the frame on the mantle. 

It was a picture of Noctis and Ignis, taken not long after they had left Insomnia years ago. Noctis had said some stupid joke, and Ignis had actually burst out laughing. Noctis had a self-satisfied smile on his face. Prompto had captured Ignis mid laugh. 

“I hope, if Ignis is dead, that he and Noct are happy together,” Prompto said, touching the people in the frame gently.

Gladio stood up and pulled his husband against him, dropping a kiss into his hair. “Me too, Prompto, me too.”

FFXV

Ignis was covered in blood. Luckily, for him, none of it was his. Not so lucky for the people he had killed.

He didn’t really think of them as people, anyway. They were…nothing to him, sacks of meat and blood and bone. He turned some into daemons, others he just slaughtered. 

They begged him for mercy. He never gave them any. Ardyn showed him no mercy, so Ignis showed no mercy on others. 

Ardyn found it incredibly amusing. He could feel Ignis’ hatred for him simmering in the bond between them. 

Ignis’ back had taken months to heal. Potions and magic didn’t work on wounds inflicted by Darkness. His back was thick with red and silver scars. Ardyn could barely see those old cockatrice scars across his back. 

Once Ignis had healed, he had disappeared into the city for weeks. Ardyn could feel him, of course, the anger and hatred swirling through the blind man as he cut down anyone who dared to think that Ignis couldn’t handle himself.

But he came back, just like Ardyn knew he would. Ignis was his. Ignis needed him, and Ardyn knew it. The first time, Ardyn had almost been gentle, and it made Ignis hate him even more.

Ardyn heard the whispers in the streets. A monster walked in Insomnia. 

Ignis had been with him over a year and a half. He could wield Darkness as a weapon, and Ardyn knew he used it to tear entire groups of people apart. He could feel it whenever Ignis drew upon that dark well of power.

Ardyn looked at Ignis, standing before him covered in blood and thicker things. 

“Looks like you had fun,” Ardyn said, picking a finger out of Ignis’ hair and tossing it aside.

Ignis smiled at him. It was wicked, hateful smile. “I guess that’s one word for it.”

Ardyn chuckled, drawing his fingers through tacky blood on Ignis’ cheek. “You were born for this, Ignis, this world of ruin. You know what they call you, right?”

“What?” Ignis asked, picking blood out from under his nails. Gods, he needed a shower. 

“Skaeling, just like the old stories. Translates as ‘he who walks as death in the night.’ Quite the accomplishment.”

Ignis tilted his head. He remembered stories of Skaeling, the shadow monster who preyed on crown citizens. How utterly fitting. He felt the smile pull on his face. His teeth were white against the blood on his face. 

Ardyn reached up and tugged Ignis’ face down to his, kissing him hard. He could taste the copper tang of blood and the faint wine taste of Darkness. 

Ardyn pulled back, a trail of saliva linking them momentarily. “Weapons training.”

Ignis nodded and stepped back. Ardyn had started training him to fight again. It had been like starting over from the beginning for Ignis. Learning to fight blind was a new experience, and Ardyn didn’t use practice weapons.

It had taken months for Ignis to get truly comfortable again with his weapons of choice. He could still pull the daggers and polearm from Noctis’ Armiger. Ignis tried not to think about Noctis, but it was hard whenever he summoned those weapons. Daemons didn’t fight like people, so before he had come to Insomnia, he hadn’t really needed to completely relearn how to fight. 

Ignis shed his blood soaked jacket for ease of movement. Ardyn dropped his own and summoned a sword. He watched Ignis intently. He enjoyed training with Ignis. More often than not, the rigorous training led to rather violent sex. Most of the sex between them was violent, in one way or another.

Ardyn loved it. Ignis hated it, but he needed it. 

Ardyn lunged at Ignis, and Ignis batted his blade aside with his lance, snapping it across the back of Ardyn’s legs. Ardyn laughed, spinning back around as Ignis traded his lance for his daggers.

They both froze. Ignis didn’t have his daggers in his hands.

Ignis ran his finger over the blade in his hand. It seemed to be a katana, which was strange. The only katana Noctis’ had in his Armiger had been a Royal Arm, and there was no way that Ignis could summon that. Which meant…

His head came up, fingers still caressing the blade. 

Ardyn stared at the weapon in Ignis’ hand. Ignis would summon _that_ weapon from him.

“Yes,” Ardyn said, walking up to Ignis and caressing the blade, “that was mine once.”

Ignis swung the blade through the air. He summoned a weapon from Ardyn. He frowned. Only Lucian royalty could store weapons in the Armiger. One didn’t have to be bonded to the royal to summon weapons; Prompto being able to call his guns from Noctis was proof of that. Being bound to them made it easier. Ignis’ eye widened. 

Only Lucian royalty could store weapons in the Armiger.

His mind flashed back to something Ardyn had said to him after taking him on the throne, pounding inside him until Ignis bled.

_“You seem to have a thing for Kings of Lucis.”_

“Finally figured it out, did you?” Ardyn asked, still staring intently at the katana. 

“You were a king?” Ignis said, his voice barely a whisper.

“I was the King of Light, healing those afflicted by the Starscourge, chosen by the gods and the Crystal.”

“I don’t understand,” Ignis said. Noctis was the King of Light, wasn’t he? How old was Ardyn?

“The gods turned their back on me, wiping me from history. This is my revenge.”

Ignis thought he may have remembered something Ardyn had told him once; that Ardyn knew what it felt like to have people turn against him.

He couldn’t think about this. It made no sense, and really, it didn’t matter. He was bound to Ardyn. Noctis was gone.

“Have you trained with a katana?” Ardyn asked.

“A little. It wasn’t one of the weapons I focused on.”

“You’re going to focus on it now.”

Ardyn didn’t like looking at that blade. He was going to have to make Ignis pay for drawing that blade from him. On the other hand, it would be immediately obvious to Noctis that Ignis wasn’t drawing just from his Armiger anymore, and that amused Ardyn. 

Ignis could feel Ardyn through their bond. Ardyn wasn’t happy about him wielding that certain weapon, and Ignis was okay with that. He knew that Ardyn would make him pay for it later, but the katana felt good in his hands.

Ardyn summoned his sword back to him and leapt in attack. Ignis managed to parry and slide to the side.

Ignis lost himself in the feel of the blade and opened himself to Darkness. It wasn’t something he did often when sparring with Ardyn, because Ardyn was so much better at it than he was, but he couldn’t keep up with Ardyn when he was in one of his moods. 

Ardyn laughed as Ignis’ body was engulfed with that dark fire. He was so open to the Darkness, to the Starscourge, and it made Ardyn fiercely happy. 

Ignis had murdered countless people, drank the Darkness that resided in daemons and turned once loyal citizens into more daemons. He was glorious in his Darkness. 

They continued to spar, blades slicing skin, blood laced with Darkness spattering across the floor.

They lost themselves in the dance of blades and Darkness, their bodies engulfed by black fire as their weapons snapped against the other.

When they were simply sparring, Ignis could almost forget all the terrible things he had done. Ardyn was the best swordsman he had ever sparred against. He doubted even Cor would be able to defeat Ardyn. 

Fighting Ardyn made Ignis a better fighter. In the long night, only the best could survive. Ignis did whatever was necessary to be the best, to survive, no matter what Ardyn did to him.

FFXV

Ignis moved silently through the streets of Insomnia. When he walked the streets, he was away from Ardyn, which was a blessing and a curse. He hated that man, but he craved him. It was almost like an addiction. He hated what Ardyn did to him, but he needed it. He couldn’t live without the pain Ardyn inflicted on him.

He was still trying to work out everything that Ardyn had told him about his past, which admittedly, wasn’t much. Ardyn had been a king, that much was obvious. But when had he been king? What had happened to him? Ardyn wasn’t telling him, and Ignis wasn’t stupid enough to ask.

He was bound to two kings of Lucis, two kings who were chosen by the gods.

He hated himself.

He stopped, lowering himself to sit on some crumbling steps in front of some building. He had been out here for a couple of days, trying to distance himself from Ardyn, from the sex they’d had after he summoned that katana for the first time. 

He had new, weeping wounds on his back from Darkness. Ardyn had not been pleased.

No matter how far he ran in the city, he could still feel Ardyn at the other end of the bond. He hated it. He had never been that aware of the bond with Noctis. It had always been there, a warm, comforting thing just beneath the surface. 

The bond with Ardyn was none of those things. It burned like fire between them, fueled by rage, hatred, and sex.

Ignis tried not to think about the fact that he had been with Ardyn sexually more than he had ever been with Noctis. He had only gotten to make love to Noct twice. He lost count of the times he and Ardyn had fucked. 

He heard soft footsteps and continued to sit there, his head bowed. Humans, coming towards him, a large group of them. Good. Let them come. He was in the mood for some bloodshed.

When he roved the city, he disconnected from himself. It wasn’t like it had been immediately after Noct’s disappearance, Ignis was still there, he just…disassociated from what he did.

He knew it was terrible. He knew it was evil. But in the midst of the killing, the bond to Ardyn sang between them, the Darkness wove its terrible song around his heart and he simply didn’t care. He didn’t care that he was slaughtering people who were once loyal crown citizens. He only cared about the screaming, the sound of flesh and bone parting beneath blade and Darkness, the sound of daemons devouring people who had once been their friends, all at his command. 

“Look what we have here, boys,” one of the humans said, “we’re going to have fresh meat tonight!”

The others laughed. Ignis didn’t move. His head was bowed, hair falling over his face. 

A hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Ignis summoned the katana and whipped his arm out, the blade sinking into the man’s neck, severing his head from his neck in one swift move.

Oh, this was a lovely blade. So sharp, so deadly.

The others yelled and scrambled back, some drawing weapons. One or two smart ones simply ran.

Ignis opened himself to Darkness. Dark flame rippled away from his skin. The men attacking him fell silent, staring.

It was him. It was Skaeling.

One of the men dropped to his knees. “My lord, forgive us, we did not recognize you.”

Skaeling tilted his head. The man could see his face clearly. Dark scars covered his left eye, and his right eye was a solid black.

They called him ‘lord.’ That was interesting. He liked that. 

He dug his fingers into the hair of the head resting next to him. He tossed it at them. The other men fell to their knees.

“What is your name?” Skaeling growled.

“Jordan, my lord.”

Skaeling stepped down from the steps. Jordan kept his eyes on Skaeling’s boots. He had heard the stories of Skaeling when he was child living in the city. He had looked to the Citadel and dreamed of being a member of the Crownsguard. And then the wall had fallen, and the world went to shit.

He hadn’t believed the rumors that Skaeling was real, stalking the darkened city and destroying anyone who stood in his path.

But it made sense that this…creature…before them was Skaeling. He was cloaked in shadows and had made that katana appear out of nowhere. What else could he be?

“Are you going to beg for mercy, Jordan?” Skaeling whispered, drawing his fingers through Jordan’s hair. Jordan shivered at the touch. Skaeling wore gloves, but a harsh cold radiated from his fingers.

Jordan opened his mouth to answer, and one of the others with Jordan, a man named Hector, threw himself at Skaeling’s feet, clinging to his thighs and screaming for mercy.

Mercy was apparently the wrong thing to ask for. 

Jordan watched in horror as Skaeling’s katana appeared in his hand and slammed into Hector’s chest. Hector gurgled for a moment, blood welling out of his mouth as he slid off the blade and collapsed in a heap on the dirty ground. 

Skaeling rolled his neck, a smile on his face. “Anyone else?”

No one moved. Jordan tried not to breath. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Hector’s body. He hadn’t really liked Hector, or Jasper, the man Skaeling had beheaded, but he hadn’t expected this. 

No one expected a monster from the stories to come to life and start killing people. 

Skaeling snapped his fingers, and Jordan winced when three goblins appeared from the shadows and started tearing into Jasper and Hector’s bodies. Jordan could hear the remaining men crying softly.

“No one?” Skaeling asked. “Pity.” The katana disappeared. 

“My lord,” Jordan whispered, “what would you have us do?”

Skaeling stopped above him, tilting his head and staring at him out of that one black eye. 

“Why, my dear Jordan, whatever I ask.”

FFXV

Time passed. Ardyn knew that Ignis had run into a tribe that styled him their lord. He let it happen. It amused him. Ignis would disappear into the city for weeks at time, his worshippers doing whatever he asked.

Ignis stood shirtless on one of the many balconies of the palace, letting the wind push his long hair back from his face. Jordan and the others had delivered once again; an entire tribe of people ripe for the taking.

Ignis had gone alone. He never let the humans follow him into the killing grounds. He called a Red Giant, drank it dry, and proceeded to turn humans and slaughter those who ran. 

He felt powerful. He didn’t know why he didn’t just kill Jordan and the others. It amused him to keep them alive. They were utterly terrified of him.

A part of him mourned that. He had never wanted people to be terrified of him before. But now it brought him pleasure to murder people, to turn them into daemons, to tear their hope from them, like his hope, his Noctis, had been torn from him. 

Ardyn stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He watched Ignis. He could see still weeping wounds across the man’s back. He sometimes whipped into Ignis’ back with Darkness because he could. It was fun. It was hard to believe that Ignis had been in the city with him over three years. Three glorious years.

Ignis turned his head. “Are you just going to stand there staring at me?”

“I’ll do whatever I like, Skaeling,” Ardyn said.

Ignis snorted and turned back to the city. 

Ardyn could feel the Darkness roiling in Ignis. He had just returned from the city, and had apparently drank a daemon or two dry, hoarding the power that came with it. 

He walked forward and placed his hand on Ignis’ back, right over the newest wound. Ignis hissed, arching away from him.

Ardyn fisted his hand in Ignis’ long hair and snapped his head back. “I said, I’ll do whatever I like.”

Ignis growled at him. Ardyn sank his teeth into Ignis’ neck. “None of that, Ignis,” Ardyn said.

Ignis spun in his grip, Darkness flaring to life around him as he drove Ardyn back. Ardyn’s eyes widened. He felt Ignis’ anger in the bond between them. 

Oh, how utterly delightful. He loved it when Ignis got aggressive. He could easily overpower Ignis when he was like this. Ignis had only been using Darkness for less than ten years, Ardyn had been using it for 2000.

He would make Ignis pay for this later, but for now, he’d let Ignis have his fun. 

Ignis shoved Ardyn back onto the bed. Darkness kept him pinned face down, arms and legs spread. He felt Ignis’ hands work at his belt, shoving his pants down over his ass. Ardyn couldn’t help but chuckle at Ignis’ haste.

Ardyn heard Ignis grunt as he struggled with the laces on his pants. Ardyn knew what a pain in the ass laces were, but he still made Ignis wear the archaic court clothing. 

“You hate me so much, don’t you, Ignis?” Ardyn said.

“Shut up,” Ignis snapped, shoving a wad of cloth into Ardyn’s mouth. Ardyn laughed around the gag. Ignis was so going to pay for this later. 

Ignis finally managed to release himself from his pants. He hated the damn lace up pants, but if he didn’t wear them, Ardyn would make him regret it. He wished that this was real, that he really had Ardyn at his mercy, bare ass clenched before him.

He knew the truth. Ardyn would let him do this now, have his way with him, and Ignis would pay for it in spades later. 

But for now, he would enjoy the illusion of power that came with taking Ardyn.

##FFXV##

Ignis kicked his pants off and leaned over Ardyn. He wished he could see Ardyn spread before him. He dragged his hands over Ardyn’s ass, guiding his cock in between the man’s cheeks. 

He pressed against Ardyn’s hole, growling as he shoved his way in. Ardyn hissed at the stretch. Pain was an interesting thing to him. He could drive a blade into his chest with no apparent effect, but Darkness could still cause a little twinge of pain. Pain was an old friend to Ardyn. While he would rather be the one dishing the pain out, he could take it. Pain meant a person was mortal, and Ardyn was not mortal, not by a long shot. 

Could he feel pain? Yes, but mostly it almost a tickling sensation. Pleasure he could feel, and he took a vindictive pleasure in fucking Ignis. He liked to imagine fucking Ignis on the throne in front of Noctis, the look on the prince’s face as he watched Ardyn’s cock shove into Ignis ass, the sound of their skin slapping together, Ignis’ pained screams as Ardyn came in his ass. 

He laughed around the gag as Ignis rutted against his ass, cock slamming into his heat. Ignis could feel Ardyn clenching around him, and he shifted, the head of his cock searching for that sweet spot.

He wanted Ardyn to come first. Ignis was almost always on the receiving end of Ardyn’s cock, and just once he wanted Ardyn to come first.

Ardyn grunted as Ignis’ cock hit his prostate, hard. Ignis bit the back of his neck, thrusting hard, driving Ardyn’s dick into the bed. Ardyn closed his eyes; the friction against his cock felt wonderful.

Ignis bit him again, his teeth coming together in the meat of Ardyn’s shoulder. Ignis felt the skin break, and his mouth was flooded with Ardyn’s blood. He sucked at it eagerly, the thick wine taste of Darkness lingering on his tongue.

Ardyn moaned, raising his ass as Ignis thrust inside of him. He felt one of Ignis’ hands work down in between their legs, tugging and yanking at Ardyn’s balls. 

Ignis was going to pay for this later.

Ardyn clenched around Ignis’ cock, spilling his seed onto the bed below him. Ignis drove him into the sticky puddle. Ignis yelled into his shoulder, still lapping at the blood leaking from the bite wound as he filled Ardyn’s loose hole with his come.

##FFXV## 

Ignis pulled out of Ardyn and wiped his cock on the sheets. The Darkness pinning Ardyn down disappeared, and Ardyn rolled over, staring at Ignis. Ignis felt around for his pants, pulling them back on and lacing the front with shaking fingers.

Ignis turned and walked out the door, clenching his fists as he heard Ardyn start to laugh. 

Ardyn wrapped his fist around his soft cock and pumped it leisurely. Oh yes, he thought, swiping his thumb over his slit, Ignis would pay for that. Ardyn had the perfect plan.

It was time for Noctis to come home.

FFXV

Ignis turned his head as Ardyn walked up behind him. It had been a couple of weeks since Ignis had fucked him and walked out. He knew that Ardyn’s revenge would be painful. Ardyn had come to him later that day and told him that he would be gone for a few weeks, and not to do anything Ardyn wouldn’t do.

Ignis had gone into the city, hunting humans and daemons alike. It was like Skaeling was a different person. Skaeling didn’t have to worry about what Ardyn would do to him, or what anyone thought of him. Skaeling simply killed and devoured Darkness. Sometimes, Ignis wanted to stay in the city, forget that Ignis even existed and become Skaeling forever.

He always came back to Ardyn. Ignis needed Ardyn.

Ardyn pressed his lips against Ignis’ in an almost gentle kiss. “Follow me, I have something to show you.”

Ignis followed him. He knew the Citadel well by now. Nearly four years of living in the place and learning it again and he could find his way around no problem.

Ardyn was taking him to the throne room. Ignis wondered briefly if they were going to have sex on the throne again. It was one of Ardyn’s favorite things to do. 

Ignis frowned as Ardyn opened the door. There was something…different…in the throne room. Something warm, and familiar, weaving around the room.

Ardyn tugged on Ignis’ arm and led up him up the steps to the throne. He wished Ignis could see.

The Crystal hung behind the throne, a faint glow emanating from it. Noctis was still deep inside it. Ardyn didn’t know how long it would take for Noctis to receive the power of the Crystal; it had been almost seven years. He had promised to keep Ignis company.

Ardyn took Ignis’ hand and pressed it against the Crystal. Ignis froze. He knew immediately knew what rested beneath his palm.

Oh gods.

Ardyn watched Ignis’ face with rapt attention. He could feel Ignis’ emotions boiling through the bond; shock, fear, sadness, desperation, hatred, love. Ignis focused on his hate for Ardyn. The man didn’t need to feel any of his other emotions. They weren’t his.

“Noctis is home, Ignis, and isn’t that lovely?” Ardyn whispered against his cheek. He smiled, his tongue tasting Ignis’ skin.

“Lovely,” Ignis said without emotion, dropping his hand. He stepped back and turned away, walking down the stairs with his head held high. 

His heart hurt. His hand burned where he had touched the Crystal. He could feel Ardyn’s eyes on his back, anger simmering in the bond. Ignis felt himself sinking beneath that dark lake in his mind. He couldn’t do this. He didn’t want to do this.

Skaeling kept walking until he disappeared into the city. People were going to die. 

Ardyn frowned, patting the Crystal. He had expected more of a reaction. He had half hoped for the desperate wailing he remembered from when Noctis had first been taken by the Crystal. He had not expected…that. 

He shrugged. Ignis would be back, and he could take his time making Ignis hurt then.

Ardyn threw himself onto the throne, tossing one leg over the armrest. 

He was a patient man, but he really wanted Noctis to hurry the hell up and get out of the Crystal. It was going to be so much fun when he finally came back.

In the distance, Ardyn heard people in the city start to scream.

He smiled.

There was a monster loose in Insomnia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardnis summary: Ignis uses Darkness to pin Ardyn to the bed, and fucks him from behind. Ardyn thinks about the meaning of pain, and what it means to be immortal. Ardyn could easily overpower Ignis but decides to let Ignis have his fun. He'll get his revenge later.
> 
> Lemme know what you think.


	29. Izunia-Brother, Advisor, Lover, King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis dreams of Ardyn's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this entire chapter is basically a dream, but I'm not going to put it in italics. This becomes a major turning point for Ignis, even though he doesn't really feature in this chapter. This chapter focuses on Ardyn's past, and reveals some interesting things about him. I really liked writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it. There is sex in this chapter, but since it is completely consensual and NOT Ardnis, I'm not bracketing it. There is mild incest in this chapter (is mild incest like saying someone is 'kinda pregnant?') but don't let that chase you away. Seriously, if you've stuck this story out this long, it's way less worse than other shit I've written.  
> As always, comments and kudos are love. Please let me know ya'll are still reading this monstrosity. 
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine

Izunia-Brother, Advisor, Lover, King

Ignis stared at his hands. They weren’t his. He could see, so he must be dreaming. Ardyn hadn’t sent him a dream since he had joined him in Insomnia four years ago. There was no reason for him to with Ignis living with him. The fact that this clearly was a dream was worrying.

The hands were large, strong, with a couple of scars across the knuckles. Whoever he was, he was shirtless, and had a very nice chest. He looked around the room. It was a wide, open room with a large bed and a massive mirror hanging on the far side of the room. Comfortable looking chairs sat before a roaring fireplace. It was a king’s room.

Ignis thought it might even be King Regis’ chambers, but with no electric lights. There were lamps set around the room, none of them lit because bright daylight streamed through the open balcony doors.

Sunlight. Ignis walked to the balcony and stared outside. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face. It had been so long.

The wind blew his hair back, and he frowned, finally turning to face the mirror. 

The man looking back at him had to be one of most beautiful people Ignis had ever seen. 

He had long, honey gold hair that fell in soft waves around his shoulders. His beard was neatly trimmed and slightly darker than his hair. His eyes…Ignis stepped closer to the mirror, running his hand over his unfamiliar face. 

His eyes were a bright electric blue; beautiful and strangely familiar. He was taller than Ignis, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His lower body was encased in soft linen pants. 

Ignis heard the door open and the man who’s body he was in turned to face the door, without Ignis controlling it.

Ah, Ignis thought, I am just a passenger here. 

It was a good thing Ignis was just a passenger, because if he had been in control of this body, he would’ve passed out in shock.

The man in the door was Ardyn, but not Ardyn as Ignis remembered him from before Altissia. Not Ardyn as he had memorized beneath his fingers.

This Ardyn was…magnificent. 

His red-violet hair was pulled away from his face, clearly longer than Ignis had ever seen it. His hazel eyes were kind, and there was a gentle, teasing smile on his face. His cheeks were clean shaven, no sign of the stubble Ignis remembered. 

He was wearing a long leather jacket, black, with gold buttons down the double lapels. Ignis could just make out the skull sigil of Lucian royalty on the buttons. Ardyn was wearing black leather pants and knee high black boots.

The half-crown of Lucis was woven into his hair.

He was beautiful. He was a king.

Ardyn leaned against the doorframe, staring at the man before the mirror. He strode forward with a smile, starting to unbutton his jacket.

“Admiring yourself, Izunia?”

Izunia? Ignis thought, wasn’t that Ardyn’s last name? 

He would simply sit back and observe through this Izunia’s eyes. It was…enlightening to see Ardyn like this.

Izunia smiled, “There is much to admire, don’t you agree?”

Ardyn laughed, tossing his jacket aside. Izunia sighed and walked over to it, picking it up and folding it carefully over the back of a nearby chair.

“Much to admire,” Ardyn said, slipping his arms around Izunia’s waist and pressing a kiss in between his shoulder blades. Izunia smiled, leaning back against the smaller man.

“How did your day go?” Izunia asked, turning in Ardyn’s arms and guiding him to the chair in front of the fire. Ardyn sat with a sigh, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. Izunia knelt before him and began undoing the intricate buckles on the king’s boots.

“It is getting worse, Izzy. Every day, more people fall to the scourge. Refugees from around the country pour into Insomnia every day, straining our already meager stores. They beg for a cure, for light, for life.”

Izunia pulled off one of Ardyn’s boots and shifted to the other. “You sound exhausted, my love.”

“It seems like it will never end. Oh, that feels wonderful,” Ardyn said as Izunia began to rub his feet.

Izunia lifted Ardyn’s leg and pressed a kiss into his calf. 

“You work too hard,” Izunia whispered against his skin.

“Well, if my advisor had not decided to sleep in, he could have been there handling some of the rabble,” Ardyn said.

Izunia chuckled. “If my king hadn’t worn me out last night, I wouldn’t have needed to sleep in.”

“I seem to remember a distinct lack of complaint last night,” Ardyn said, reaching down and cupping Izunia’s jaw. He ran his thumb over his beard, smiling into Izunia’s eyes. Izunia smiled at him, turning his head and kissing the pad of his thumb. 

Ardyn smiled down at the man before him. “Do you remember when we were introduced?”

“Hard to forget,” Izunia said dryly, “I do believe you hated me.”

“Oh, I did. I thought Father was being incredibly cruel to Mother, bringing you from Costlemark.”

“It was rather disconcerting to discover that I had a younger half-sibling, one who was first in line to the throne.”

Ardyn smiled wryly. “Not as disconcerting as it was for me to find out that my father had another family hidden away in Costlemark. My mother was livid.”

“Your mother hated me, with good cause. You were a pretentious little brat, Ardyn.”

Ardyn continued to stroke Izunia’s cheek. “It was a strange relationship, to be sure.”

Izunia leaned into Ardyn’s hand, closing his eyes. It had been a strange relationship. He had been brought to Insomnia when he was six. Ardyn had been three. They had hated each other immediately. Izunia hadn’t understood what his father had meant by dragging him away from his mother and Costlemark, where he was born, and bringing him to the capital.

He had known that his father was king, but it was a distant thing. To find out his father had another family, another son, living in the wide open palace and not hidden away in Costlemark had been a hard blow indeed. 

It had been even harder to discover that he wasn’t a prince. He had always imagined that he would be king after his father. In Costlemark, he was Prince Izunia. In Insomnia, he was the bastard child of the king of Lucis, suddenly retainer to Ardyn Lucis Caelum, the true prince of Lucis.

He shared his middle and last name with his younger brother, although it was kept quiet. Around Insomnia and the palace, his name was simply Izunia Asta, retainer to the prince.

They were schooled together, learning how to rule together. They still hated each other, constantly trying to undermine each other in their schooling and their training.

Izunia had been twelve, Ardyn, nine, when Costlemark was attacked by mysterious creatures that had never been seen before. They attacked at night, stealing into the tower and killing everyone inside.

Izunia and Ardyn had been sparring, trying to see who could leave the biggest bruises on the other, when their father walked in, his face drawn and angry.

He yanked them apart, tossing their practice blades aside. He had looked right at Izunia.

“Your mother is dead. Costlemark has been sealed with magic.” He turned on his heel and strode from the room, leaving the two boys staring after him in shook.

“Dead?” Izunia whispered, sinking to his knees. His mother couldn’t be dead. He hadn’t seen her in six years, but she always sent him small gifts and letters, telling him to be kind to his brother. She couldn’t be dead.

Izunia felt his eyes burn with tears. He wiped them away quickly. Ardyn would tease him for being a stupid little crybaby. What did Ardyn know? Their father loved him better, and his mother was alive and well in the palace. He had a family.

Izunia had no one.

He stood up and ran from the room, leaving a silent Ardyn staring after him.

Izunia had run to his room, throwing himself onto his bed and sobbing hysterically. He wanted someone to hold him, tell him it would be okay. His father never held him, even when he had visited in Costlemark before bringing him to Insomnia. He missed having a friend, someone to laugh with.

Ardyn didn’t count. They were constantly at each other’s throats. The only time they touched was when they sparred. 

Izunia missed being touched. No one in the palace touched him. He wrapped his arms around his pillow and tried to muffle his sobs. His body shook, and it was hard to breathe. 

He felt a hand touch his hair and gasped, lifting his head. 

He could just make out Ardyn standing by his bed, little face serious. It was dark in his room, a single candle flickering on his bedside table, throwing Ardyn’s features into shadow. 

“I’m sorry, Izzy,” Ardyn whispered, petting Izunia’s hair. 

Izunia blinked at him, tears still running down his cheeks. He had never been called Izzy before. It didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.

Izunia opened his mouth, but the only thing that came out was a soft whimper. Ardyn climbed onto the bed next to him, pulling the bigger boy to him. Izunia wrapped his arms around Ardyn’s waist and cried into his chest.

Their relationship started to change after that. They still taunted and teased, but it was a friendly teasing. Ardyn was there whenever Izunia was seized by sadness and grief. Their father seemed to move on without blinking an eye. Izunia’s mother had just been a bed warmer. 

A year after Costlemark fell, Izunia woke to Ardyn standing above him, shaking his shoulder.

“Izzy, something’s wrong,” he whispered. Izunia immediately sat up and rubbed his eyes. Ardyn’s eyes were glowing red, and a fine sheen of sweat covered his body.

Izunia’s eyes widened. He had never seen anything like Ardyn’s eyes glowing.

“What’s wrong, Ardyn?” Izunia whispered, taking his little brother’s hand. Ardyn trembled.

“Come with me,” Ardyn said, tugging his hand. Izunia got out of bed and followed Ardyn. The smaller boy clung tightly to his hand, palms sweaty. Their bare feet padded lightly on the tiled floor. The halls seemed strangely empty of the Crownsguard. It was like there was some kind of spell over the palace, and they were the only two immune to it. 

Ardyn was silent as he led Izunia through the darkened palace halls. They reached the top of the palace, stars twinkling overhead. A shooting star streaked overhead, and another, and another. They watched as a particularly bright star shot closer and closer to them. Izunia gasped and pulled Ardyn back.

The star slammed to the top of the palace, sending both boys to their knees. 

“It’s a crystal…” Ardyn whispered. Izunia blinked, staring hard at the strange crystal. It was massive, dark blue and half open like a geode. It seemed to glow with an inner light. Ardyn grabbed Izunia’s hand.

“Stay with me?” he whispered.

“Always,” Izunia replied. Ardyn dropped his hand and stepped up to the Crystal. Izunia watched with his heart in his throat as Ardyn pressed his hand against the Crystal.

Light burst from the Crystal, wrapping around Ardyn, and to a lesser extent Izunia. Ardyn gave a wordless cry and fell to his knees. Izunia knelt next to him, staring up at the Crystal.

A woman appeared before them, her hands spread. She was scantily clothed, and her skin was ice blue. Izunia’s eyes widened.

“Shiva,” he whispered. 

Ardyn couldn’t seem to tear his hand away from the Crystal. Tears ran down his face. 

“O King of Light, you are Chosen. You will be the King of Kings, and take the covenant with the gods to wipe the Starscourge from the land. The Crystal will imbue you and yours with magic.”

Izunia heard footsteps behind them, and turned his head slightly. Their father stood behind them, his eyes wide.

“You will do great things, Chosen One,” Shiva whispered, pressing her fingers against Ardyn’s head. Ardyn screamed, his body arching away from the Crystal. Izunia caught him, lowering him to the ground.

“What is this?” their father bellowed. He rushed forward, and Izunia was aware that Shiva was gone, vanished in a whirl of ice. 

“He has been chosen,” Izunia whispered, holding Ardyn close to him. 

“No! I am the king! I will not give up my throne to that boy!”

“He is your son!” Izunia snapped.

Izunia cried out when his father slapped him, once, twice, three times. Izunia doubled over, trying to shield Ardyn from their father’s fury. He felt bones crack beneath his father’s fists, and he clung tighter to Ardyn. 

Ardyn was chosen by the gods for some task that Izunia didn’t understand, but he had to protect him. He told Ardyn he’d stay with him, always, and he planned on it.

Ardyn stirred when he felt something hit his cheek. He opened his eyes and blinked; Izunia’s face was hovering over his, screwed up in pain, tears leaking from his blue eyes. Ardyn could just make out their father behind him, striking Izunia over and over.

No. Izunia was his. Father didn’t get to hurt Izunia. It wasn’t the first time he had seen their father hit Izunia. He himself had been hit before, but not as often. Izunia often took the blows meant for him.

Ardyn felt something burn deep inside him, and he shimmied out of Izunia’s grip, leaping to his feet. His father didn’t even notice.

“Stop!” Ardyn yelled, throwing his hands out. He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t to be surrounded by a sudden blizzard, their father flung back across the floor.

Ardyn stared at his hands, then dropped to the floor next to Izunia. Crownsguard members were suddenly flooding the area, looking for the threat. They stared at the Crystal, whispering worriedly. 

Ardyn didn’t know what had just happened. He didn’t know what being chosen meant, or what the ice goddess had meant by the covenants, but he couldn’t let their father hurt Izunia. It had only gotten worse after Costlemark had fallen and they had become friends. 

“The king is dead,” one of the Crownsguard whispered. Ardyn’s eyes widened, and he whimpered. He hadn’t meant to kill him, only save Izunia! Ardyn was too young to be king, he was only ten!

Ren Amicitia, one of the younger Crownsguard members, knelt before Ardyn. “You are the king now, my lord.”

Ardyn stared at him. He couldn’t be king. Not yet.

He remembered Shiva’s words. He was the Chosen King. He stared at his hands. He could feel magic seething through his body. He put his hand on Izunia’s back, gently running his hand over his brother’s body. His only thought was that he wanted his brother healed. 

His hand glowed, and Ren gasped as Izunia took a deep, even breath. Izunia lifted his head, staring at his brother, his king.

“Better?” Ardyn asked softly. Izunia nodded, his eyes wide.

He would follow Ardyn anywhere.

It had not been an easy transition. Ten years old was far too young to be king. Ren Amicitia stepped up, and became a trusted advisor to the boy king. He helped Izunia and Ardyn search for anything that could allude to what Shiva had talked about. 

A plague started to run through the land. People died, and strange creatures like the ones that had attacked Costlemark appeared once the sun went down. Izunia called them daemons. Ardyn learned how to use the strange powers the Crystal granted him, learning from Shiva herself how to wield magic and send weapons into an invisible weapons locker she called the Armiger. 

Ardyn learned how to heal the people. He joined with the gods to fight the Starscourge and the daemons. Izunia learned how to use magic as well, and one of the weapons Ardyn had put in the Armiger came to Izunia's hands; a beautiful katana.

When he was sixteen, Ardyn was loved as a king. Izunia was his most trusted friend and advisor, but Ardyn wanted more. One night, after a long day of healing people, he let himself into Izunia’s room.

His brother was sleeping, but woke as soon as Ardyn had touched his cheek. Izunia stared up at him, eyes widening when Ardyn leaned down and kissed him gently on the mouth.

“Ardyn, you’re my brother…” Izunia whispered.

“I don’t care, Izzy. You’re the only one that understands. You can use the magic too, and you’re always with me,” he kissed Izunia again. “Plus, it’s not like we can make children together.”

Izunia closed his eyes, feeling Ardyn’s lips ply gently over his. He had been trying to deny the feelings for Ardyn for years, and here he was, kissing him gently and pressing him back down into his bed.

He reached up and pulled Ardyn down on top of him. That night, as they lay wrapped around each other in post coital bliss, Izunia cut his thumb, and Ardyn cut his, and Izunia was bound to Ardyn through blood, magic, and love. He swore an oath to always remain by his king’s side.

“What are you thinking?” Ardyn whispered. Izunia opened his eyes and smiled at Ardyn, his king. He kissed Ardyn’s palm again.

“Everything. Remembering how we met, the Crystal, the first time you kissed me…”

Ardyn smiled, running his fingers over Izunia’s beard. They had been lovers for nearly twenty years. There was no one Ardyn loved more than Izunia. He knew people talked. He needed to take a bride, get an heir, but he could hardly think about that when the world was slowly falling to Darkness. The princess of Tenebrae was agreeable, and she knew about the covenants. He just hadn’t actually set a date yet. He couldn’t, not with Izunia there to love him every day.

He had made the Covenant with the gods. He fought the Starscourge every day, swallowing the Darkness that seeped into people’s bodies and souls. Izunia stayed with him.

He was so tired. 

Izunia stood up and pulled Ardyn to his feet. He cupped Ardyn’s face and kissed him again, running his tongue over Ardyn’s lip. Ardyn opened his mouth, resting his hand on Izunia’s chest and flicking his finger over his nipple. Izunia groaned into his mouth.

Ardyn pulled back and looked up at him. “Bahamut says I must leave soon.”

Izunia bowed his head and closed his eyes. They had both known this was coming. Ardyn had been told that there would come a day when he would have to go out among the people and wipe the Starscourge from the land for good. Izunia had just hoped it would never come. He could see the stress that Ardyn was under. It hurt him that he couldn’t ease his brother’s burden at all.

“When?” Izunia asked, slowly unbuttoning Ardyn’s shirt and pushing it off his shoulders, splaying his fingers over Ardyn’s well defined chest. 

“Within the week,” Ardyn whispered, closing his eyes. Izunia ran his hands down Ardyn’s back, pressing soft kisses into his jaw. His beard tickled Ardyn’s skin, and Ardyn couldn’t stop the smile that spread over his face. He loved that feeling.

“Then I will love you now,” Izunia said, gently guiding Ardyn backwards to the bed. The gods had been quite staunch in their orders that Ardyn go forth alone. Izunia would remain behind, separated from Ardyn for the first time since he was six. He was dreading it. 

Izunia gently took the crown from Ardyn’s hair, resting it reverently on the bedside table.

Ardyn collapsed onto the bed, his hair spreading across the pillow like a bloodstain. Izunia stood above him, eyes taking in his lover’s form. He wanted to memorize it. He crawled onto the bed, raining soft kisses against Ardyn’s exposed skin. Ardyn groaned, burying his fingers in Izunia’s honey gold hair.

He dragged Izunia’s head up to his face, kissing him hungrily. Izunia’s hands roved over his body, coming to rest on his pants. He massaged the growing bulge, laughing softly when Ardyn whimpered into his mouth.

The laces were tight across the front of Ardyn’s pants, and Izunia quickly unlaced them, peeling the pants down Ardyn’s legs. He tossed the pants aside, stroking Ardyn’s thigh.

“Don’t tease, Izzy,” Ardyn growled.

Izunia laughed, wrapping his hand around Ardyn’s cock. He stroked it gently, plying gentle kisses along Ardyn’s jaw. 

“Would I tease you, my love?”

“Yes,” Ardyn gasped, raising his hips as Izunia pressed his thumb into Ardyn’s slit. 

“Forgive me,” Izunia whispered, kissing his way down Ardyn’s body. He paused at each nipple, licking, sucking, and biting them until Ardyn writhed beneath him. He kissed Ardyn’s nipples gently and drew his tongue down his sternum, over his abs. He could feel Ardyn’s cock resting hot and heavy against his cheek as he kissed down his thighs. 

He rubbed his face over Ardyn’s cock, his beard catching the sensitive skin of the tip and driving his name from Ardyn’s lips. 

Izunia smiled up at him and lowered his mouth to Ardyn’s dripping head. His tongue flicked out, tasting his king. Ardyn moaned, watching Izunia take him into his mouth through lidded eyes.

Ardyn’s cock rested against his tongue. He ran his tongue along the underside of Ardyn’s length, tracing each vein. Ardyn shuddered, burying his hand in Izunia’s hair.

He groaned as Izunia took him all the way down, burying his nose in the hair around his base. His cock hit the back of Izunia’s throat, and he swallowed, drawing his head up and then lowering himself back down. 

“Gods, Izunia,” Ardyn whispered. He felt Izunia smile around him, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard. Ardyn thrust gently, shoving his cock down Izunia’s throat. Izunia’s eyes watered, but he didn’t complain. He loved the feel of Ardyn’s hot cock in his mouth.

He reached up between Ardyn’s legs and fondled his balls. Ardyn closed his eyes as Izunia ran his fingers from his balls to down his perineum to his waiting hole. Izunia pressed against his hole, gently rubbing Ardyn’s rim. 

Ardyn moaned again. Izunia knew just where to touch him. 

Izunia drew back, Ardyn’s cock sliding from his mouth with a soft pop. A line of saliva dripped from his mouth to the head of Ardyn’s dick. Ardyn smiled at him.

“I topped last night,” Ardyn managed to say, his cock twitching. 

“And you did it marvelously,” Izunia whispered, kissing Ardyn’s length and still running his finger over Ardyn’s rim.

“Damn it, Izzy, stop teasing.”

“Tell me what you want,” Izunia said.

“You inside me,” Ardyn panted, raising his hips.

“As you command.” 

Izunia sat up and reached over the bedside table. An Elixir sat there. Useful for healing, but even more useful as a lubricant. 

Ardyn rolled over, presenting his ass to Izunia. Izunia smiled and ran his hands over the mounds of Ardyn’s ass, gently massaging him. He unscrewed the top of the Elixir and used the glass dropper to pull some out. He spread Ardyn’s cheeks and rested the dropper close to his puckered hole.

The Elixir fell onto Ardyn’s anus, warm and thick. Ardyn shuddered. He loved the feel of that fluid running between his cheeks.

Izunia set the Elixir down and stood up, quickly shucking his own pants and tossing them aside. Ardyn stared at him. Gods, he was beautiful. Light chest hair spattered his chest, leading down to his thick cock, already standing at attention. He smiled, and the corners of his blue eyes crinkled with amusement when he saw Ardyn staring at his cock.

He got back onto the bed, snagging the Elixir and dropping more in between Ardyn’s cheeks.

“Hurry,” Ardyn whispered.

“Patience, my love, I’m going to make sure you’re ready for me.”

Ardyn groaned as Izunia pressed that long finger back against his waiting hole, gently working his finger inside him. He moved his finger, rubbing Ardyn’s insides. He slid another finger in, working them against each other and slowly spreading Ardyn’s hole.

Ardyn’s hips worked, rubbing his dick against the bed. He groaned as Izunia slid a third finger inside of him, the burn of the stretch fading into pleasure.

He whimpered when the fingers disappeared. He opened his eyes in time to see Izunia coat his cock in Elixir.

“Roll over,” Izunia said, running his free hand down Ardyn’s back, “I want to see your face.”

Ardyn rolled over, his legs falling open. Izunia settled himself between Ardyn’s legs, smiling down at him. He lifted one of Ardyn’s legs and tossed it over his shoulder. Ardyn panted. Izunia could hit him so deep in this position.

Izunia wrapped a hand around himself and guided his cock to Ardyn’s entrance. He pressed the head of his cock against that tight hole and pushed gently. He shuddered when Ardyn’s body welcomed him, tightening around him.

Ardyn’s head fell back, mouth open, as Izunia slowly pushed himself all the way in.

“Gods, you’re amazing, Ardyn,” Izunia whispered, kissing Ardyn hard.

Ardyn returned the kiss, gently biting Izunia’s lower lip. He loved being with Izunia. He could forget what it meant to be king, to be chosen, and just be a man with his lover. 

Ardyn lifted his hips, forcing Izunia to move. Izunia chuckled and began thrusting, his cock moving in and out of Ardyn’s tight ring of muscles. 

“Harder,” Ardyn panted. Izunia nodded, and began slamming into Ardyn. Ardyn cried out. It felt amazing; Izunia’s cock inside him, balls slapping against his ass.

Izunia suddenly rolled them, coming to rest under Ardyn. Ardyn moaned, his cock dripping. He loved riding Izunia; his cock felt so much bigger from this angle. Izunia wrapped his hands around Ardyn’s waist, guiding up and down his length.

Ardyn wrapped one hand around his cock, pumping in time with Izunia’s thrusts. His head was back, eyes closed.

Izunia squeezed his waist. “Open your eyes. I want to see your eyes.”

Ardyn opened them, his hand still working at his cock. They stared at each other, their pants the only sound in the spacious chambers. 

Izunia wrapped his larger hand over Ardyn’s on his cock, dragging his fingers through the pre-come dripping from Ardyn’s slit. Ardyn gasped.

“I’m so close, Izzy.”

“Good. I love watching you come, Ardyn.”

Ardyn’s cheeks flushed. Izunia watched as the blush spread down his neck and over his chest. He shifted his hips just enough to hit Ardyn’s prostate.

Ardyn’s hand clenched around his cock, crying Izunia’s name as he stroked that spot deep inside Ardyn over and over.

Ardyn’s cock twitched in their hands, spilling thick ropes of seed across their hands and Izunia’s chest. Izunia kept pumping him, trying to work every last drop of come from his lover.

Izunia kept thrusting inside Ardyn, memorizing the feel of those tight rings of muscle pulling him deeper and welcoming him with every movement. Ardyn panted and shuddered above him, riding the aftershocks of his own orgasm.

“Ardyn,” Izunia said.

“Say you’ll stay with me,” Ardyn said, tightening his ass around Izunia’s cock.

“Always!” Izunia cried, his hot seed bursting into Ardyn’s ass. Ardyn felt Izunia’s come fill him.

Ardyn collapsed on top of Izunia, his cock still buried deep in Ardyn’s ass. Ardyn ran his fingers over Izunia’s chest, dragging his finger through his own trails of semen. Izunia wrapped his arms around his king, pressing a soft kiss against that red violet hair.

“I love you, Ardyn,” he whispered.

“And I love you, Izunia.”

He shifted, and Izunia slipped free of his body. Ardyn reached for an old shirt that was left on the bed and wiped Izunia’s chest and cock and thighs before doing the same to himself. He cuddled back against Izunia, his head resting against his chest.

“Ren won’t be happy that I disappeared,” Ardyn muttered, tracing his fingers through Izunia’s sparse chest hair.

“He can wait a couple of hours. The kingdom can wait a couple of hours,” Izunia growled, pulling Ardyn tightly against him.

Ardyn closed his eyes, listening to the steady heartbeat of his lover, advisor, brother.

Everything slowly faded to black.

It was a different day. Izunia stood before the throne, trying not to show his emotions on his face. 

Ardyn stood up. “It is time. I must go forth to heal the people of the Starscourge. The gods have chosen me, and I will do as the gods ask.”

Ren Amicitia bowed. “Please, your majesty, at least let me come with you.”

Ardyn put his hand on Ren’s shoulder. “You know you cannot, old friend. The gods have decreed that I must go forth alone. You must help Izunia. I trust both of you to hold my kingdom together. Plus, I hear your wife is nearing her confinement. I would not want you to miss the birth of you first child.”

Ren bowed lower. “Yes, your majesty. Godspeed.”

Ardyn turned to Izunia. He stood one step above him, making them even in height. He smiled sadly, reaching out and cupping his cheek.

They had always been secretive about their relationship. People would not like the fact that the king was in love with his brother. At this moment, Ardyn didn’t care.

“The best thing our father did was bring you to me,” Ardyn whispered.

Izunia smiled, leaning into his touch.

Ardyn reached up and took the crown from his hair, gently pressing it into Izunia’s hand. “Watch over this for me. I’m going to want it back.”

Izunia chuckled, holding the crown carefully. Long ago he had dreamed of wearing the crown. Now, he could imagine no one but Ardyn wearing it.

“I love you,” Izunia whispered, his voice so soft Ardyn almost missed it.

“And I you,” Ardyn whispered back. He pressed a gentle kiss on Izunia’s mouth. No one seemed surprised, but those in the throne room were those closest to the king. Maybe they knew, maybe they didn’t care. 

“Good luck,” Izunia said, taking a step back. 

Ardyn walked down the steps, throwing a jaunty smile over his shoulder. “I don’t need luck, Izunia, the gods themselves are on my side.”

Ardyn touched his finger to his forehead in a salute, and turned and quickly strode out the door.

Months passed slowly. Izunia and Ren dealt with the day to day running of the growing kingdom of Lucis. Izunia heard no word from Ardyn, and he was terrified. 

He had gotten word of people miraculously cured from the Starscourge, Darkness taken from their bodies into that of a great healer. He knew the healer was Ardyn, but Ardyn had sent no letter, no sign, no nothing, to let Izunia know he was alive, that he was okay.

So Izunia worried. 

Months stretched to a year. One night, Izunia woke with a start. The room was freezing. He looked around, his eyes widening when he saw Shiva sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What has happened? Is Ardyn all right?”

Shiva stared at him, her fathomless eyes sad.

“The King of Light has been judged and has been found wanting. He has allowed Darkness to corrupt his Light. He is Accursed.”

Izunia stared at her. “What? He’s dead?” His heart clenched.

Shiva was silent. 

“Tell me!” Izunia cried.

“The Accursed One is not dead. He cannot die. The gods have agreed that he will not pass beyond the gate.”

Izunia shook his head. “How is this possible?”

“The Darkness corrupted him.”

Izunia buried his head in his hands. The goddess was making absolutely no sense.

“Lucis needs a king who can wield the power of the Crystal, who can protect the city, and prepare for the one true king.”

“Ardyn was the true king!”

Shiva sighed, her breath frosting the air. “We thought he was. He is Accursed.”

“Damn you! Damn you all!” 

Izunia surged out of the bed, pacing quickly across the room. Shiva stopped him with a hand on his arm. She was so cold.

“You will be king, Izunia Lucis Caelum. You will build twelve great tombs for future kings, and they will protect the city and wait for the King of Light. To better channel your power, we grant you this Ring.” She held out her hand and slid a ring onto his finger. 

Izunia cried out and hit his knees. He could hear whispers and his vision shattered into prisms. 

“No! I do not want your trinkets! I swore to stay with Ardyn! Bring him back!”

“He is on his way back, O king. He must be sealed away, and all records of him destroyed. He is Accursed.”

“I am not a king!” Izunia bellowed.

Shiva pointed at his head and he froze. A strange weight hung from his head. He reached up and touched it. 

The half-crown, woven into his hair.

“No.”

The door slammed open, and Ren Amicitia ran in. He stared, dropping to his knees before the goddess.

She looked at Ren. “This is your king now. Protect him, be his shield against those who would do him harm, turn away those who mean to taint his Light.”

“Yes, goddess,” Ren whispered.

“No,” Izunia whispered again, falling to his knees. He did not want to be king. 

Yes, he had wanted it when he was young. Even in his teenage years, after his father’s death, he had sometimes imagined himself wearing the crown. But he had fallen in love with Ardyn. He wanted nothing more than to remain by Ardyn’s side, watching his brother rule.

Ardyn was a just king, a good king, a better brother, the best lover.

It couldn’t be happening. Not like this. 

He looked up. Shiva was gone. Ren knelt before him.

“What happened, Izunia?” Ren whispered. “What happened to Ardyn?”

“She said he was corrupted,” Izunia whispered. He reached up and felt the crown in his hair and the heavy weight of the ring on his finger, and he wept.

Another month passed. Izunia reluctantly took up the throne. He didn’t understand why people were so willing to forget Ardyn. Hadn’t Ardyn been a good king?

He thought the gods might be at work.

Another month. Whispers reached his ears of a man who trailed Darkness moving towards the city. Bahamut told him it was the Accursed One, come to take his throne.

Another month. Izunia sat on the throne, Ren Amicitia at his side, when Ardyn was led through the doors by the Crownsguard.

Izunia felt his heart break. Ardyn looked terrible. His eyes were a strange yellow, and he could see black veins pulsing under his pale skin. He was thin and haggard looking, his once fine clothing rags barely fit for a beggar. 

Ardyn frowned, staring at his brother on the throne.

No. Oh no. 

“What do you do there, brother?” Ardyn asked softly. He shoved his hands into his pockets. It wouldn’t do for them to see his hands tremble. 

Izunia didn’t move for a moment, before he turned his head slightly. Ardyn sucked in a startled breath. Bahamut, in a more reasonable size than Ardyn had ever seen him, stood beside Izunia.

“Ardyn Lucis Caelum, you have been judged. You are corrupted. You are the Accursed One.”

Ardyn stared. The last few months had been a blur. He was sure he had died, and he thought he vaguely remembered Shiva talking to him, turning him away from death and sending him back.

“How have I become Accursed?” Ardyn snarled, his fists clenching.

“You let Darkness corrupt you,” Izunia said softly. Bahamut disappeared in a flash of light. “The gods have named me king.”

“No! Everything I did was at the behest of the gods! How dare they turn on me! How dare they judge me when _everything_ I did was because of them?”

“You will be taken to Angelgard and sealed within the tomb there,” Izunia said, his eyes locked above Ardyn’s form. The Crownsguard shifted uncomfortably. Shouldn’t he just be executed? Being entombed alive seemed like a harsh punishment.

“Damn you, brother!” Ardyn cried, tearing out of the Crownsguards’ grip. “You swore to stay with me always!”

Izunia took a shuddering breath and looked at him. “I have no brother.”

Ardyn rocked back, his eyes wide. “Izzy…” he reached a thin hand towards him. No. Izunia couldn’t betray him. Ardyn could stand anyone but Izunia betraying him.

“Take him away, seal him within Angelgard. Bahamut has given his word to watch the prison-“

Ardyn screamed when his wrists were shackled together. “Do not trust the gods, you traitorous swine,” Ardyn snarled, “for the gods have no issue turning against their beloved children!”

Darkness rose from Ardyn’s body, lashing out at the guard. Ren stepped in front of Izunia, willing to protect the king.

“You too, Ren? You are all treacherous dogs!”

Izunia stood and gently pushed Ren out of the way. His blue eyes were hard as he watched the Darkness stretch towards him. He lifted his right hand, the Ring of the Lucii burning like a brand against his skin.

Light burst from the ring, swallowing the Darkness. 

Ardyn fell back, his eyes wide. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Izunia.

So, it was true. Izunia was now the king, chosen by the Crystal.

“Take him away,” Izunia whispered. “I cannot look upon him anymore.”

Ardyn was silent as the Crownsguard lifted him to his feet. He stared at Izunia and kept staring at him as they dragged him from the room.

“You will pay for this, my king,” Ardyn screamed, “you Oathbreaker! May the gods shit in you skull!”

Izunia turned away, blinking back tears.

Ardyn started to laugh. His laughter rang around the throne room long after he was gone.

Ren put his hand on Izunia’s shoulder. Other advisors and council members stood around him, waiting silently.

“All trace of Ardyn Lucis Caelum must be erased,” Izunia said flatly. “Every book, every statue, anything that has any proof of him must be destroyed, completely.”

“Your majest-“ one of the advisors said.

“Do not question the orders of the gods!” Izunia cried, spinning to face him. “Ardyn Lucis Caelum does not exist! Go! Do as I say!”

They rushed from the room. It would take years to erase all trace of the first king’s existence. Izunia knew that. 

He turned and walked away, moving slowly back to his room, the king’s chambers. He sat on the edge of the bed, dropping his head into his hands.

All trace of Ardyn would be destroyed, but Izunia knew he could never banish his brother, his lover, his king, from his heart.

He cursed the gods and the Starscourge.

Shiva had said that Ardyn could not die, and Izunia had ordered him to be sealed alive inside a tomb. It was horrible, and he could do nothing about it. She had said he must build massive tombs to hold the souls of future kings, to prepare for the coming of the true chosen king.

He would do as the gods decreed. He would build the tombs, he would rule over Lucis, he would marry the princess and produce an heir.

He would never forget Ardyn, and he would fear for his descendants.

Damn the gods for turning against a good man.

Damn the gods for corrupting a pure soul.

Damn him for blindly following the gods. He should’ve run to Ardyn, held him, kissed him, reaffirmed his love.

He could feel Ardyn vaguely through their old bond. Ardyn was full of hate, and rage, and Darkness.

Izunia wept.

FFXV

Ignis sat straight up in bed, his heart pounding. He was in a safe room in Insomnia. He buried his head in his hands.

Was it true? 

Could it be true?

Had the gods turned against Ardyn?

Did it really change anything?

Ignis felt something wet on his face and touched his cheek. He was crying. That was strange. He couldn’t remember the last time he had really cried.

He let himself weep.

He wept for Noctis, for himself, for the people he so wantonly murdered. He wept for Izunia, and he wept for Ardyn.

His tears burned his eye, just like Darkness burned his soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the FFXV wiki seemed to allude to the fact that the king who defeated the scourge was the first one to be gifted with the Crystal, so I ran with that, just changing the ring to going to Izunia instead of Ardyn. Anyway...
> 
> Going to resort to begging again. Please tell me what you think of this chapter. As I said, I really enjoyed writing it and exploring Ardyn's past even briefly. So please, I hope you didn't hate it, but tell me if you enjoyed it even remotely.
> 
> Thanks.


	30. Costlemark and The Dream of the Oracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the chapter is a bridge for the next one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, sorry this took me so long. I had a super hard time figuring out how to start this chapter. It's basically a bridge, important stuff happens, but mostly for set up for the next chapter. Possible Cor/Iris undertones in this? But I don't think so, but just a warning, I guess.  
> And I got sick, so it was hard to write with a fucking ear infection, and my ear throbbing the entire time.  
> This chapter spreads a large period of time. The first part takes place about two years after Ignis leaves for Insomnia, and the second half (featuring Ignis) takes place four years into his vacation with Ardyn.  
> Thank you for all your kind reviews on the last chapter. I'm considering (when Light is finished) expanding that history and writing a story for Ardyn and Izunia. Would anyone read it? Also, apparently no one was incredibly bothered by the fact that I made them lovers and related, so that was cool. I was a little worried about the incest.  
> Little bit of Nyx in this chapter!
> 
> As always, comments and Kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- Costlemark and the Dream of the Oracle

Cor stared up at Costlemark tower. The ruins were ominously silent. Gladio stood next to him.

“We ready for this?” Gladio asked.

“Do we have a choice?” Iris asked, walking up and standing next to her brother. 

“There’s always a choice,” Cor said, glancing at Iris. She smiled wryly at him before looking up at Costlemark.

Prompto and Talcott joined them. “We’re ready,” Prompto said, “got plenty of curatives, bullets, lights. No brains though. I’m afraid we left our smarts somewhere behind years ago when we decided to do this.”

Gladio snorted. It definitely wasn’t the smartest thing to go into Costlemark, but they were getting desperate. It had been a little less than a year since Cor had stopped sending people to observe the Crown City, and what they had heard from those who had managed to escape was…terrifying.

Insomnia had been home to millions of people, and Cor believed that at least a million still remained in the dark city. Every day, people died.

Of course, Cor knew that hundreds, if not thousands, of people died every day around the world in the long night. He knew that countless more people died within the city, people he had once taken an oath to protect.

He knew that there was nothing he could do about it. 

The reports from the few people who had made it to Lestallum though…Cor couldn’t erase those from his mind.

Tales of bodies strung from fences, daemons feeding on them. Stories of children being murdered in front of their parents, groups of people hunting down others and eating them. Rape, murder, disease, it all ran free in the city.

It all bothered him, but it was the reports of the Monster that really bothered him.

One man had stood before Cor and described this monster, the one the city dwellers called ‘Skaeling.’ Long hair, a scar over his left eye, trailing Darkness like a cloak with a following of daemons.

It couldn’t be who he thought it was. There was no way Ignis would be running around the city murdering people, apparently with a smile on his face. No way in hell. Ignis had always been one of the best; incredibly loyal to Noctis and the royal house, smart as hell, wicked with his chosen weapons. He had never willingly wanted to hurt people.

There was no way Skaeling and Ignis were the same person. Ignis was dead. There was no other option. He had vanished into the long night.

Cor never told the others about the description of Skaeling, the Monster of Insomnia. He had only seen Ignis briefly after Noctis’ death, just those three weeks they had stayed in Hammerhead when Aranea brought the boys back from Gralea. He was afraid if he described the monster, Skaeling, to Gladio and Prompto, they would run off and try to find him.

Cor couldn’t afford to lose Gladio and Prompto. They had become the backbone of their group. They couldn’t know that Cor was haunted by images of Ignis murdering children. 

Ignis was dead. Cor kept having to remind himself of that. There was no way a blind man could survive the city.

Cor jumped slightly when Iris touched his shoulder. She had a worried look on her face.

“Are you okay, Marshal?”

He managed to smile at her. “Of course, Iris.”

She arched her eyebrow. “Okay, if you say so, but everyone already went in. You’ve just been standing here.”

Cor cursed himself for getting too wrapped up in his thoughts. He was tired, nay exhausted. It felt like he hadn’t gotten a full night’s rest since the sun had disappeared.

Iris squeezed his shoulder. “C’mon, before the others get too far ahead. Gladdy says that Costlemark is confusing as hell.”

Cor nodded, and they both headed down into the ruins.

FFXV

“Are you sure this is the right panel, this time?” Cor snarled at Gladio.

“I don’t fucking know!” Gladio yelled back. Prompto got in between them and shoved both of them back a step.

“Enough!” Prompto snapped. “This isn’t helping any of us.”

Gladio glared at Cor over Prompto’s head. Prompto kept his hand on Gladio’s chest and looked up at his husband.

“Gladio, remember this happened last time we were here. We knew this coming in.”

“I thought I remembered which panel it was,” Gladio said softly, running his hand through his hair. Cor looked away, crossing his arms.

They had been in Costlemark for days, slowly working their way deeper. Cor had known the place was huge, but he was surprised by the sheer scale of the ruins.

This place had been beautiful once, he thought, taking one of their water bottles from Talcott with a nod of thanks. 

After a few more minutes of rest, they all stood in the middle of one of the panels and waited for it to lower. Cor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He was going to scream if they ended up in the massive room with the multiplying Red Giants again.

They didn’t.

“This is it,” Prompto said, slumping against Gladio.

“Thank the gods,” Iris said.

They moved through the narrow halls, riding lifts and cutting through more daemons.

“Hold up a second,” Cor said as they walked towards a central elevator.

“What’s up, Cor?” Gladio asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Are we sure that there’s going to be anything down there?”

Prompto leaned against Gladio. “I honestly don’t know,” he said softly. Every room they had passed that may have once had something useful in it had long been decimated by daemons. Cor was starting to think this whole stupid expedition had been a bad idea. There was nothing here. He didn’t want to lose another person, especially one of this group, for no reason.

“We’re here, Cor,” Iris said, kneeling down and pulling out her whetting stone. If they were going to stand still for a moment, she was going to sharpen her katana. “Prompto and Gladdy say that the elevator leads down to some kind of large room. We may as well go down and check it out. There might be something.”

“And there might be nothing, Iris, and someone will die.”

She looked up at him, standing up slowly. “Everyone dies, Cor. I’d rather die fighting than waiting on the surface for the lingering death to finally come knocking.”

Cor stared at her. How many times had he thought that same thing? It seemed like the years had blurred together since the long night fell. He was so busy he hardly had time to think. He was constantly sending people out on missions he would rather do himself.

“You’re right, Iris. Forgive me, my mind has been miles away lately.”

“We all have days like that, Marshal,” Aranea said, “but the faster we get our asses down there the faster we can get the hell out of here.”

“I agree with Aranea,” Gladio said, “let’s get moving.”

They got on the elevator and rode it down.

The massive chamber was just as Prompto remembered it. The skull of the jabberwock they had faced the first time was still there, sightless eyes staring at them. Prompto shuddered, and Gladio squeezed his hand.

He hated this place. The memories of their first trip down here haunted him. He swore that sometimes he heard Noctis and Ignis, just around the next corner, their playful banter just out of earshot. 

It made his heart hurt. Gladio thought about them every day, and every day he regretted what he had done to Ignis. He had abandoned a brother, and it ate at him. He loved Prompto with all his heart, and he definitely didn’t regret marrying him, but he wished he had done things differently with Ignis.

“Hey!” Aranea smacked him. “Seems like Cor’s not the only one who’s thoughts are miles away.”

Gladio smiled at her. “Sorry.”

“Hey!” Talcott yelled, “there’s something here!” The young man was kneeling on the far side of the room, working his blade in between a crack in the floor.

“Fool kid’s gonna snap that blade,” Cor muttered as he walked by Gladio. Gladio snorted, following Cor.

“Looks like a trap door,” Iris said, kneeling next to Talcott.

“Well, you know what they say,” Prompto said, “if it’s worth locking up…”

Gladio smiled and shoved Talcott out of the way. He worked his fingers into the crack, finally heaving the trap door open. Musty air hit their noses.

“Stairs,” Aranea said, shining her flashlight into the depths.

“Well, shall we?” Cor asked.

They descended ever deeper into Costlemark.

They finally reached the bottom of the stairs. It seemed to be a store room of some kind, filled with old boxes. Tapestries covered the walls, paintings were covered with cloth.

“What was this place?” Iris muttered, shining her light around.

“Costlemark was once, long ago, the summer house for the Caelum family,” Cor said, glancing around. “It was before the gods gifted them with the Crystal.”

“How do you know this shit?” Aranea asked, gently opening an old trunk.

“I know it comes as a shock, but I do know how to read,” Cor said dryly. “I was fascinated by Lucian history, and Regis indulged me with free access to the Caelum personal library.”

“What happened to it then?” Prompto asked, reaching up and touching a tapestry.

“No one knows for sure, but the records of it disappeared around the time the Starscourge appeared.”

Everyone was silent for a while, looking at the various things in the room.

“This stuff is old,” Talcott muttered, “this is dated over 2000 years ago.”

“Time frame’s right,” Cor said, shining his light onto the painting that Talcott had uncovered.

“Wow,” Iris said, coming up to stand next to him, “she’s really pretty.”

Cor nodded, staring at the painting. It was a woman holding a child. She had long golden hair and blue eyes. She wore a court dress of deep burgundy. The child in her arms was maybe three years old, a boy, with the same gold hair and blue eyes.

“Who was she?” Prompto asked softly.

Cor shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Listen to this,” Aranea said. She had an old book in her hands. “’Itzal told me that I would live like a queen here, and he was right. He said it is called Costlemark. The servants wait on my every whim, I feel like a queen.’”

Gladio frowned. “Who the hell is Itzal?”

Cor scratched his jaw. “I don’t know, but the name sounds familiar.”

“Maybe she was the queen?” Talcott asked, still staring at the painting.

“Ah, no,” Aranea said, “’I have been here for three years, and Itzal has told me that I mean nothing. He has married the Lady Azhure, elevating her greatly in status. He has never hinted at marrying me. Fie on him. I have just discovered I am pregnant, and he will have to marry me.’” 

Aranea turned the page. “’He refuses to give up the Lady Azhure. I am seven months gone with child and Itzal has named himself king, with her as his queen. He rarely comes to see me. I hate him.’”

“Was Azhure the first queen of Lucis?” Prompto asked.

“No,” Iris said, surprising Cor. She smiled at him. “A Tenebraen princess by the name of Faraday married the first king.”

“How do you know that?” Gladio asked in shock.

“Every little girl wants to dress up as the Queen Faraday, Gladdy.”

“Huh,” Gladio said. He turned back to Aranea. “Keep going.”

“’My son was born today. He is so lovely. I have named him Izunia-‘”

“What?” Prompto and Gladio yelled at the same time. Everyone looked at them. Prompto and Gladio were staring at each other in shock.

“There is no fucking way,” Gladio said.

“Maybe the name was passed down, it can’t be him.”

“I know, Prompto, there’s no way that fucking piece of trash is 2000 years old and a former king!”

“Hey!” Cor snapped. The two men looked at him. “Would you two mind sharing with the rest of the class?”

“Ardyn Izunia,” Prompto said tightly.

“Huh,” Aranea said, looking at the book. “Prompto’s right. That was his name. I just called him Chancellor whenever I had to talk to the creep.”

“Was it a common name?” Iris asked.

“No idea,” Cor said. “We can talk about it later. Aranea, keep reading.”

She gave him a sarcastic salute, flipping careful through the pages. “’He took you from me today, Izunia, took you to the palace to become retainer to his son with the Lady Azhure. He did not ask me if I wanted you to go, he did not ask if you wanted to go. I am so sorry my son. I hope you can find a friend in your brother.’

“Most of these entries seem to be in reply to letters sent to her from Izunia…wait, here we go,” Aranea said. “’Something strange has happened to the cook. His skin turned grey, and his blood blackened. The healer has never seen anything like it.’ Next entry, ‘More people have died. At night, we can hear some strange sounds, like screaming, only worse. I have sent for Itzal. He must come. Be safe, my darling Izunia.’”

She took a deep breath. “Last entry, ‘I have hidden in the store room. Everyone has changed. They have become monsters, with wicked claws and glowing eyes. I know I will never see you again, my son. I wish I could have seen you grow these past six years. You are twelve now, a good age. Wait! I hear something at the door. Maybe Itzal has come for me at last. I must go check.’”

There was silence for a moment. Aranea carefully closed the book and handed it to Cor. He placed it gently in one of the backpacks they had carried with them.

“Look around, let’s see if there’s anything else that might offer up some clues,” Cor said.

The others fanned out. 

“It seems like whatever happened here happened before the Crystal showed up,” Cor said after a while. 

“So, before that prophecy then,” Iris said with a sigh.

“Yeah,” Cor grunted. “Damn it.”

Prompto was quietly going through some small figurines, a frown pulling at his face. Gladio came up behind him and hugged him.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered.

Prompto picked up a small figurine that looked like a fox with oversized ears. “Looks like Noct’s old Carbuncle charm.”

Gladio stared at it. “It does.”

“Noct and Ignis would’ve loved finding out about this place,” Prompto said softly, holding the figure to his chest. “Especially Ignis…”

Prompto sniffed. They didn’t talk about Ignis much, but they knew he had to be dead. Prompto felt a tear roll down his cheek. He hadn’t had a nightmare about being tortured in a long time. He wished he had gotten the chance to tell Ignis that he knew it wasn’t him, that Ignis would never torture people, laugh in their ear as they cut bits from them. 

He missed Ignis, almost as much as he missed Noctis.

Gladio dropped a quick kiss on his head. “Keep the figurine, Prompto.”

“Hey, lover boys, we’re leaving,” Aranea yelled. “Unless you two want to make this your honeymoon spot.”

Prompto managed to laugh, quickly wiping away tears. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

FFXV

Ignis wiped his blood covered hands on the body in front of him. It had been a month since he’d had that strange dream, vision, he wasn’t sure what it was. He had gone back to Ardyn, of course, because he always went back to Ardyn.

Ardyn had nearly killed him. 

His back twinged in pain as he straightened up. Ardyn had used Darkness to tear into his flesh. Ardyn had tied him to the throne and left him there for days, fucking him until he bled. Ignis didn’t remember much of those days. He only remembered the Crystal, warm above him, and the pain.

Ignis had woken up a week later in Noctis’ bed, because that was always where Ardyn put him after torturing him with Darkness.

He had crawled back to Ardyn that night, blood and skin dragging off his back.

He needed Ardyn. Gods, he needed him.

He had sobbed into Ardyn lap, begging forgiveness for…something. He couldn’t remember exactly. Ardyn had let him cry, petting his hair, before digging his fingers into the open wounds on Ignis’ back.

He had woken up again in Noctis’ bed. 

He couldn’t remember what Ardyn had done to him. His back was still open and weeping. It had taken him a month to finally get back out into the city, to stalk the streets and take his own form of revenge on the pitiful fools who lived there.

He couldn’t hurt Ardyn, but he could hurt them.

And hurt them he did. 

It was easier, in a way, to be Skaeling than it was to be Ignis. Ignis cared what people thought of him, worried about the past, the future. Skaeling didn’t care about anyone. Skaeling lived to destroy people, he lived for the feel of flesh parting beneath his blade, blood splattering across his face, Darkness writhing into his soul.

Ignis often thought about the strange vision and the man Izunia. He hadn’t mentioned it to Ardyn, at least, he didn’t think he had. If he had, maybe that was why Ardyn had beaten him so badly?

He didn’t know, and Ardyn hadn’t said anything.

He tripped over one of the bodies, growling as he lifted himself back to his feet. How many had he killed that day? He didn’t know. He didn’t know how many he had killed in the past four years. He stopped counting.

“My lord?” a voice said. Skaeling spun around, the katana materializing in his hand.

“It’s me, my lord, Jordan!” the man yelled, throwing himself to ground.

Skaeling froze. Oh yes, he remembered. 

The katana disappeared. “Jordan,” he purred.

“My lord, what would you have me do?” Jordan whispered. He had seen the slaughter that Skaeling had reaped upon the people. He had followed his lord until Skaeling had found a group of thirty, and had watched in horror as Skaeling had cut down every single one of them.

He’d had to cover his eyes when one of the women was grabbed by dark flames and torn limb from limb in front of her daughter. Then Skaeling had beheaded the daughter. 

He had known Skaeling to deliver violence on the people before, but never like this.

“I do have a job for you, actually,” Skaeling said, tilting his head. Jordan thought that he was watching him from his right eye, even though it was a solid black.

“Anything, my lord,” Jordan said fearfully. Skaeling smiled. It chilled Jordan to his core.

“I need headlights.”

Jordan stared. “Uh…okay, my lord?”

Skaeling laughed. Jordan flinched. The only time his lord ever laughed was when he was murdering people.

“From cars, preferably Crownsguard models. Headlights that could keep daemons away.”

“I know them, my lord,” Jordan whispered. His father had worked for an auto parts store. The headlights Skaeling was asking about were rare, but he knew where to find some.

“How many?”

“As many as you can get,” Skaeling said softly, lifting his head.

“Where should I take them?”

Skaeling was silent for a moment. “Take them to the bridge leading out of the city. Hide them in one of the guard shacks.”

“Of course, my lord.”

“Go, now. More people are coming.”

Jordan scrambled to his feet and ran. He wasn’t going to hang around and watch another slaughter.

Skaeling listened as Jordan’s footsteps faded and the tiny, flickering flames of Darkness of another tribe of people closed in around him.

Skaeling smiled, his blood singing for the death of those around him.

Many more people would die this night.

FFXV

Ardyn glanced up as Ignis walked through the door. Darkness swirled around him like a living thing, blood dripped from his hair.

Seems like Skaeling had had a good day. 

“Any of it yours?” Ardyn asked.

Ignis snorted, stripping his jacket off and tossing it aside. “What do you think?”

Ardyn smiled. Ever since he had brought the Crystal back, and after Ignis had come back from his initial foray, and after Ardyn had nearly killed him for his show of disobedience, Skaeling had been more…ascendant than Ignis.

Ardyn liked Skaeling well enough, although he didn’t scream like Ignis did. Ignis’ screams were like the best music to his ears.

Ardyn stood up and helped Ignis out of his shirt. “You’ve been spending a lot of time out there,” Ardyn said, running his fingers over the tacky blood sticking to Ignis’ skin.

“The people seemed convinced they can take me down,” Ignis said with a sneer, sitting down and unlacing his boots. “I simply show them the truth.”

“And what is the truth, Ignis?”

Ignis paused, leaning into Ardyn’s hand in his hair.

“Their lives mean nothing,” Ignis said, lifting his head, “their lives mean nothing so I take them, use them, and destroy them.”

Ardyn ran his fingers through Ignis’ hair, staring at the blood. Ignis’ hair looked black there was so much blood in it.

“And?”

Ignis swallowed. “My life means nothing, so you use it, use me, as you see fit.”

“Good boy,” Ardyn said with a smile, leaning down and pressing a hard kiss against Ignis’ mouth. The coppery tang of blood flooded his mouth. He pulled back, licking his lips. “Go get cleaned up, Ignis, you’re absolutely filthy.”

Ignis licked his own lips and stood up. He walked by Ardyn, heading for one of the many bathrooms. His back burned with pain, but he ignored it.

Pain meant nothing. 

He meant nothing.

FFXV

_Ignis groaned and pushed himself to a sitting position. His breath echoed around the room._

_He couldn’t see._

_That was interesting. He knew immediately this was a dream, he could always tell. But he could almost always see in the dreams._

_Strange then, that he couldn’t now._

_He thought he remembered a dream, long ago now, where he couldn’t see. He frowned, his hands reaching out in front of him._

_Yes, this was the same place._

_His fingers moved slowly over the stone effigy of Noctis lying before him. His fingers stilled as they moved over his face._

_Gods, he had forgotten. He had forgotten the exact planes of Noctis’ face._

_How could he have done that? How had he come here?_

_Why, WHY after all these years was he suddenly back in Noct’s tomb? Wasn’t the waking world torture enough?_

_He bent over, his forehead touching Noct’s stone face, and he screamed._

_Lunafreya stood in the corner and watched him, her heart in her throat. She hadn’t realized it had gotten so bad. She had been trying to get through to Ignis for years, and now she understood why she couldn’t._

_He had been consumed by Darkness. It lived within him, wrapped so tightly around his soul that she feared for him. She was afraid of him, if she was perfectly honest with herself. Absolutely terrified._

_She heard a soft grunt next to her and felt a hand on her shoulder._

_“You sure about this?”_

_She opened her mouth to answer._

_Ignis spun, Darkness flaring around him. “Who’s there?” he snarled._

_Lunafreya’s eyes widened at the Darkness around him._

_“Oh, Ignis,” she whispered. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, the hand tightening on her shoulder. “It’s Lunafreya, Ignis.”_

_Ignis paused, his head tilted to the side. She could see the Darkness sliding across his eye._

_“That was a male voice before.”_

_Ah, he had heard her companion._

_“His name is Nyx Ulric,” Lunafreya said softly, “he was a Kingsglaive, and gave his life so I could escape the city.”_

_Nyx stood next to Lunafreya, his mouth drawn in a tight line. He had seen Ignis around the palace a few times and hadn’t thought much of the kid. The man in front of him scared him._

_Ignis tilted his head, the Darkness slowly fading around him._

_“Why am I here?” he asked flatly._

_“I needed to talk to you,” Lunafreya said, “I’ve been trying to get through to you for years.”_

_Ignis snorted, turning back to the sarcophagus._

_“What has he done to you, Ignis?” Lunafreya asked. Ignis hunched his shoulders._

_“Nothing I did not deserve.”_

_“Bullshit,” Nyx snapped. “It’s not the victim’s fault.”_

_Ignis lifted his head and laughed. It was a cold, cruel laugh and it sent chills through both Lunafreya and Nyx._

_“You think I am a victim when I have murdered hundreds, if not thousands, of people?”_

_“I think you’ve been twisted by Darkness.”_

_Ignis snorted again, lifting his hand and letting the dark fire curl around his fingers. “You’re not wrong.”_

_Lunafreya stepped forward and put her hand on Ignis’ chest. Nyx made to grab her as she walked by, but dropped his hand at her look._

_Ignis shot backwards, the back of his thighs slamming against the sarcophagus._

_Lunafreya pressed her hand gently against his chest. Her hand glowed with white light. Ignis whimpered, straining to get away from her._

_“I know the man Noctis loves is still in there.”_

_“He’s dead,” Ignis said harshly._

_“No, he’s not,” Lunafreya said, “if he was, he wouldn’t have been able to see the vision I asked Gentiana to send him of Ardyn’s past.”_

_Ignis went completely still._

_“It was real?”_

_“Yes,” Lunafreya said._

_For the first time in years, Ignis felt the urge to bite his knuckles. His hands shook, and Lunafreya took them in hers._

_“Noctis is coming back, Ignis, I swear to you.”_

_“Coming back to die,” Ignis said softly. He remembered, oh gods, he remembered._

_“Yes,” she said, her voice heavy with sadness. “He will come back, and imagine how much it will hurt him to see you standing with Ardyn.”_

_Ignis turned his head, suddenly ashamed. She cupped his cheek._

_“Why did the gods turn against him?” Ignis asked suddenly. Lunafreya frowned. “Why did the gods turn against Ardyn?”_

_Oh._

_“I do not know,” Lunafreya whispered, stroking Ignis’ cheek. “They do not speak of it.”_

_“Fools,” Ignis said. “They brought this upon the world, upon Noctis.”_

_Lunafreya sighed. “Yes, they did.”_

_“Ardyn…did not deserve what they did to him. Noctis does not deserve what they have made him become.”_

_“No, they don’t. But if Noctis doesn’t go through with it, the world will die a slow, cold death, Ignis. Would you wish that on them?”_

_Nyx thought that was a stupid question. Clearly the man had killed countless people._

_Ignis was still. “I have killed many, Lady Lunafreya, and I have liked it. I am an evil man. Do you really believe that Noctis could still love me? Because I do not.”_

_“I do not believe you are evil, Ignis.”_

_The Darkness appeared around him, reaching for Lunafreya. She closed her eyes, breathing hard as it caressed her cheek. Ignis leaned forward, pressing his cheek against hers._

_“You smell of fear, Lady Lunafreya, and I like it.”_

_“Enough,” Nyx growled, stepping forward. Ignis flicked his fingers at Nyx, and he found himself pinned to the wall by Darkness._

_“I am not finished,” Ignis said mildly. Nyx struggled against the Darkness, hissing as it burned his skin._

_“Nyx, do not fight it!” Lunafreya said, her eyes wide. Ignis’ hand rested on her waist, fingers bruising her pale skin. Nyx stared at Lunafreya, finally closing his eyes and going limp. Ignis chuckled._

_Ignis cupped her chin in his hand. “And what would have this evil man do, Oracle?”_

_She stared into his Darkness filled eye. She knew he could feel her pulse hammering in her throat. “Remember Noctis. Remember how much he loves you, that his last thought as the gods took him into the Crystal was of you. Remember that you love him, and have loved him since you were child and he bonded you together.”_

_“I am bonded to Ardyn now,” Ignis said, his thumb tracing circles on her cheeks. Her skin was so soft._

_“You must believe that love, that Light, is more powerful than Ardyn, than Darkness.”_

_“My dear,” Ignis chuckled, “there is no Light anymore.”_

_“That’s not true,” Lunafreya said, lifting her head. “As long as people fight daemons, fight evil, there is Light. There is love. There can be no life without love.”_

_“I remember,” Ignis said softly, “I remember that you told Noctis that love is the only thing that follows us after death.”_

_“Yes,” Lunafreya said, “Love survives death.”_

_“It does not survive life.”_

_She hated how emotionless he sounded. She could hear Nyx’s even breaths, even pinned to the wall as he was._

_“I know you still love Noctis. You have hidden that part of you so well, so deep, so Ardyn cannot touch it, but you still love him. Do not turn your back on Light and love, Ignis, it has not turned its back on you.”_

_She went up on her toes and kissed him on the mouth._

_Ignis froze. He felt something hot twist in his chest. He thought he heard Noct’s voice, calling his name. He could hear Prompto laughing, taking pictures of him as he cooked their evening meal at camp. He could hear Gladio’s voice, chiding him about wanting to bathe two days in a row. He heard Cindy, working on the Regalia with him._

_“He is coming back, Ignis, I swear. Remember, love is the strongest force in the world. Stronger than Darkness.”_

_Ignis vanished, taking his Darkness with him._

_Nyx slid to the ground, rubbing at his wrists._

_“Fucking hell, he’s a nutcase. You really think he can be saved?” he asked, getting slowly to his feet. Lunafreya shook. She hadn’t been that terrified of Ardyn when he had stabbed her. Nyx’s arms slowly wrapped around her, pulling her to his chest._

_“I don’t know, Nyx,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize how far he had fallen. But I do know that Noctis will fail if he sees Ignis and Ardyn standing side by side.”_

_Nyx dropped a kiss onto her head. “Then I really hope you got through to him.”_

_“As do I, my love, as do I.”_

FFXV

Ignis woke with a start. He sat up, pulling a shirt to him and yanking it on. It was always cold. He pulled his boots on and stood up, grabbing his jacket as he walked out of his room. 

According to Lunafreya, the vision of Ardyn and Izunia had been real. Ardyn had been king. Izunia had been his brother, his lover, his advisor, and king after him. He couldn’t shake the expression on Ardyn’s face when he saw Izunia sitting on the throne.

Part of him didn’t want to believe Lunafreya, but she had never lied to him.

Ardyn was out. He had left a day ago on some trip to Gralea. They had fucked on the throne again before he had left. Ardyn did love fucking him on the throne.

Ignis’ footsteps echoed as he walked into the throne room, up the stairs. He stood before the throne. He could feel the gentle heat of the Crystal’s Light pulsing against him.

He took a deep breath and pressed his hand against the Crystal. It was the first time he had touched it since Ardyn had brought it back. 

Its heat leeched slowly into his palm. He stood there, letting it burn him. He didn’t think its Light could ever touch his soul.

“Noctis,” he whispered, resting his forehead against the Crystal.

Silence was the only reply.

Ignis took a shuddering breath. “Noctis, I hope…I don’t know if you can hear me…I hope, one day, you can forgive me for what I’ve done.”

He stood there a moment longer, trying to retain as much heat as possible in his hand. He finally took a step back, turned, and walked away, heading back to his room.

The Crystal’s glow grew brighter as he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	31. Freedom or the Illusion of it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis makes a bid for freedom, or something like it, and we finally hit the end of the timeskip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next very long chapter. Longest yet. A lot happens in this chapter. Please, gentle readers, tell me what you think.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- Freedom or the Illusion of it

It had been two weeks since Lady Lunafreya had first come to him in his dreams and tried to get him to leave Ardyn. Every night since she had invaded his slumber, speaking of Noctis and how Noctis would fail if he saw Ignis with Ardyn.

It was, quite frankly, starting to drive Ignis crazy. 

He knew she was right. Of course she was right. And he wanted to leave. He had been thinking about it for months, hadn’t he? Wasn’t that why he had sent Jordan to find those headlights, because he was planning on going back to Hammerhead?

He was afraid to leave Ardyn.

He needed Ardyn.

He craved Ardyn. 

He wanted to be free.

He knew he would never be free.

Ignis ran his hand through his hair, amazed as he always was at how long he had let it get. Well past his shoulders now, he usually had it tied back in a low knot at the base of his neck. 

He rested his head in his hands, shaking slightly.

He had snapped in the last dream. He couldn’t handle Lunafreya’s soft, insistent voice, and Nyx’s calm words. He couldn’t take them telling him to run, that the others would surely accept him again, welcome him back with open arms.

He knew the truth. The things he had done were grounds for instant execution, no trial, no second chance, just death. If Gladio and the others ever found out what he had become, they would try to kill him.

They would fail. Ignis knew that. 

Lunafreya had refused to believe that, and Ignis had snapped. He attacked her, throwing Nyx across the tomb, Lunafreya’s screams like music to Ignis’ ears.

He woke up vomiting. He hadn’t slept since. That had been two nights ago.

He knew what he had done to her, to Nyx, to every person he had ever murdered, was wrong, but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop.

He missed Ardyn. The man had been gone for just over two weeks, and he wondered if that was why Lunafreya had been able to get through to him. 

Ignis stood up with a growl and prowled through the halls of the palace. His feet led him to Noct’s room. He closed the door behind him with a snap and stood there, breathing hard.

He missed Noctis. Noctis had been gone nearly eight years. Eight long years. For most of that time, since Ardyn had started sending him dreams when he lived at Hammerhead, he had shoved down his feelings for Noctis.

Lunafreya had been right. He still loved Noctis, but he knew there was no way Noctis could ever love him again. He was bound to Ardyn, and had done truly horrible things and had liked it. There was no way the King of Light could love someone so bound by Darkness.

Ignis ran his fingers over the walls in Noct’s room, remembering their time together. Since Lunafreya had come to him, he couldn’t get Noctis out of his mind. He hated her for it. He thanked her for it.

He could barely remember what Noctis looked like. 

He opened the closet and stood there, fingers caressing the old suits hanging there. Noctis had rarely worn them, but they were his. Ignis lifted the sleeve of one to his face, inhaling. 

He could almost imagine he could smell Noctis in the fabric.

He stepped back and started pacing.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to hurt Noctis, and he knew that it would destroy Noctis if he came back and saw Ignis with Ardyn. That was the main reason Ardyn kept him around.

Ignis wasn’t a stupid man. He knew that Ardyn kept him because it amused him to think of Noct’s reaction to his advisor and lover standing beside his enemy. He knew that Ardyn had made him dependent on him for sex and pain and violence, because Ignis felt lost without those things.

He sat on the edge of the bed, cradling his head in his hands again. He wore what Ardyn wanted him to wear, kept his hair how Ardyn wanted his hair, fucked Ardyn whenever the whim took either one of them. He didn’t know who he was without Ardyn anymore. 

He screamed, hands clenching in his hair. He collapsed on the bed, sobs wracking his body. How could he go back, after what he had done? 

How could he stay, knowing what was to come?

Gladio and Prompto and the others had never once come to see him those three years he had been at Hammerhead. They had never asked about him, wondered about him. Why should he go back to them?

Ardyn didn’t care about him. Ardyn enjoyed using him, abusing him, fucking him.

But Ardyn touched him, caressed him, destroyed him. 

His hand gripped the pillow and he paused. There was something under his hand. He sat up and reached out, grasping the thing on the pillow. 

It was a Sylleblossom flower.

Ignis’ breath caught in his throat. He ran his fingers over the smooth petals. He lifted it to his nose and inhaled.

He didn’t know where it had come from. 

His stomach turned with regret. Gods, he was a terrible human being. He was just as bad as Ardyn, wasn’t he?

He didn’t know anymore. He didn’t know who he was. 

He crushed the Sylleblossom in his hand.

He was alone. He would always be alone.

_Ignis._

His head came up. It couldn’t be. It sounded like Noctis. It couldn’t be.

_Ignis, when the world falls down around you, and hope is lost, and you find yourself alone amid a lightless place, turn towards the distance and know that I will be there._

The Sylleblossom slipped from his fingers. He lurched to his feet and stumbled towards the door.

He remembered Noctis saying those very words to him, before he sent Noct back to the train post-Altissia. He remembered Noctis holding him on the train afterwards.

_I can’t face the Darkness without you, Ignis._

Ignis screamed. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t stay in Noctis’ room, hearing his voice, remembering him. Ignis was Darkness.

His katana appeared in his hand. With a yell, he sliced through the clothing in the closet. He spun, slamming the blade into the bed and cutting it to ribbons. He lost track of time, destroying the room, trying to chase away the memories that wouldn’t leave him alone.

He stood in the middle of the room, his shoulders heaving with sobs. He opened the door and bolted from the room. He couldn’t face it. He couldn’t face himself.

He ran straight for the doors to the Citadel. He needed to feel flesh part beneath his blade, hear the screams of someone else.

He wanted to forget everything. He wanted to forget Lunafreya coming to him, forget Noctis, forget Ardyn, forget everything.

Skaeling rushed out into the long night, blood and death the only thing on his mind.

FFXV

Ignis stood before the Crystal. He reached out and pressed his hand against it. He felt its heat sink into his palm, up his arm.

He was covered in blood. Again. He had spent days in the city, hunting and murdering and turning people into daemons. 

It was easier to be Skaeling. Skaeling didn’t care. Skaeling was afraid of nothing, while Ignis was terrified of what was coming.

Ardyn still hadn’t returned.

Ignis sighed, pressing his forehead against the Crystal. Every time he had killed someone, he thought he heard Noctis calling his name. Every time he turned his head, he thought he caught the scent of Sylleblossoms.

He couldn’t escape. There was no way he could truly escape, but gods, he wanted to. He wanted to be around other people, someone besides Ardyn. Lunafreya said Noctis was coming back.

He couldn’t be here when Noctis returned. Maybe he could go back to Hammerhead, and then just disappear into the desert. Maybe if he was gone, Noctis could face Ardyn and end the long night.

Ignis didn’t even know if he could go against Ardyn. Whenever he tried, he was soundly beaten. What if he came back with Noctis to face Ardyn, and went back to Ardyn? He shuddered. 

Could he survive without Ardyn?

He didn’t know. But maybe death was merciful compared to what he had been through, what he had become.

Ignis took a deep breath and tilted his head. Ardyn was coming, Ignis could feel it. Ignis stepped back from the Crystal and turned, walking slowly down the steps. He had a few hours to prepare.

He walked to his room and opened his closet, filled with the fancy clothes Ardyn liked him to wear. He rifled through the closet, fingers running over the different textures.

That one. He pulled the jacket and pants out, quickly stripping and pulling his new clothes on. He didn’t know what they looked like, but they felt very fine. For all he knew, Ardyn had him dressing in horrible garish colors, but even knowing how utterly garishly Ardyn himself dressed before, Ignis didn’t think the clothes he wore were that bad.

He smoothed his hands down over the buttons of the jacket. He could feel the Lucian skull embossed on each button. He sat down and shoved his feet into his knee high boots, quickly doing the buckles and laces. 

He ran a brush through his hair and tied it back. He still wished he could see himself, just to see what he wore. He ran his fingers over the walls in the room. He took a shuddering breath.

It was time to leave.

FFXV

Ardyn strode through the doors of the throne room. He was in the mood to fuck Ignis, but he couldn’t find the man anywhere. He had opened the bond between them and felt Ignis in the throne room, with the Crystal.

How delightful.

He walked in and froze.

Ignis sat on the throne, one leg crossed over the other, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers laced together.

It brought back long buried memories of another man who sat on the throne when he didn’t belong. Ardyn thought he had shoved those memories aside. Ignis had an unfortunate way of bringing them back.

“What do you do there, Ignis?” Ardyn whispered, his voice low, dangerous.

Ignis lifted his head. “Simply waiting for you,” he said, his voice flat.

Ardyn jogged up the stairs. Ignis wore one of the nicer jackets, midnight blue with silver edging. He looked good, Ardyn admitted to himself.

“And you thought you’d sit on the throne? How does it feel?”

Ignis tilted his head. “Empty.”

Ardyn chuckled, running his hand over Ignis’ cheek. He gripped his chin and hauled him to his feet.

“The throne is not for you, Ignis.”

Ardyn sat down, and then dragged Ignis onto his lap. Ignis straddled him, his knees resting on either side of Ardyn’s hips. Ardyn grasped Ignis’ ass, grinding them together.

Ignis ran his fingers over Ardyn’s face, silently tracing his lips, his nose, his cheeks.

“You’re being very touchy, Ignis.”

“You’re the only one that touches me,” Ignis said softly, “and you have been gone a long time. I missed it.”

“Ah. And tell me, how many people did you kill while I was away? I could feel you, you know.”

“I don’t count. I lost count years ago,” Ignis said, nuzzling Ardyn’s cheek. Ardyn’s hands came to rest on Ignis’ hips.

He dug his fingers into Ignis’ skin. Ignis pressed his lips against Ardyn’s. Ardyn kissed him back lazily. Ignis was acting strange. 

“I’m going back,” Ignis said, pulling back.

“Back where?”

“Leide. Lestallum. Anywhere.”

Ardyn stared at him. “You think they will take you back, Ignis? After all that you have done?”

Ignis sighed. “I have to try.”

Ardyn laughed. “Foolish man. They’ll never understand you the way I do. They’ll never touch you the way I do.” His hand dropped, cupping Ignis’ length through his pants. He kneaded the flesh there, feeling it begin to harden beneath his well-practiced hand.

Ignis tensed on his lap, unconsciously rolling his hips into Ardyn’s hand. He groaned softly, his cock twitching as Ardyn continued to stroke him. His hands cupped Ardyn’s cheeks, his thumbs tracing his cheekbones.

He knew there was no way he could destroy Ardyn. That was for Noctis alone to do. But he had to get away from him.

Darkness could hurt Ardyn still. It was minimal, but it might just give Ignis enough time to get away.

“They’ll never take you back,” Ardyn whispered. “They’ll kill you for what you’ve done.”

Ignis didn’t reply. He continued to caress Ardyn’s face, memorizing it. He thrust his hips forward into Ardyn’s hand.

He sat back, his hands falling from Ardyn’s cheeks. He could feel the heat from the Crystal’s Light seeping into him. He thought he could smell Sylleblossoms. 

He summoned his katana and wrapped it in Darkness. Before Ardyn could blink, he drove it as hard as he could into Ardyn’s chest, pinning him to the throne.

Ardyn snarled at him. Ignis stood up, his hands back on Ardyn’s face. Darkness enveloped them both. Ignis felt the wounds on his back open again, fresh blood seeping into his jacket. His cock throbbed, pain rushing down the familiar path to become pleasure.

Ignis’ hands stilled on Ardyn’s face. Ardyn clutched Ignis’ wrists, a cruel smile on his face.

Ignis summoned Darkness to his hands. It would take Ardyn some time to heal from wounds like this. He drove his thumbs into Ardyn’s eyes, Darkness searing the skin under his hands. He felt Ardyn’s eyes burst like grapes.

Ardyn actually screamed. 

Ignis stumbled back. He fought the urge to apologize, to beg for forgiveness, to throw himself at Ardyn’s mercy.

He stumbled down the stairs, his back screaming in pain.

Ardyn started laughing, black blood leaking from his eyes.

“You might run back to them, Ignis, but you will _never_ be a part of them again!”

Ignis ran.

Ardyn sat there, breathing hard. The katana disappeared, and he slumped sideways. He could feel Ignis at the end of their bond, his terror feeding Ardyn’s delight.

Yes, Ardyn was hurt, but he would summon a daemon and drink its Darkness and he would heal in days. He chuckled. He hadn’t expected Ignis to run from him. Ignis had finally done something completely unexpected.

He sat on the throne, stroking the arms. He could send Ignis more dreams, get the man to come back to him. It wouldn’t be difficult.

He laughed, black blood sticky on his cheeks. No, he would let Ignis suffer until Noctis came back. Let Ignis realize that he was forever alone, that those he had once counted as friends would never take him back.

And then, when Ignis stood before him again, he could destroy Noctis by walking forward and taking Ignis back. It would be wonderful.

He rested his head against the back of the throne, feeling the Crystal behind him.

“I do hope you’re nearly done in there, Noct,” Ardyn said, “I can’t wait for you to see what Ignis has become. It’s going to be delightful.”

He couldn’t stop the laughter. He lifted his hand in a salute to Ignis.

“Well played, Ignis, well played.”

FFXV

Ignis ran through the city, Darkness wrapped around him. Any human or daemon who stepped in his path was cut down. Ardyn’s laughter rang in his ears. Ignis hoped he could run far enough, fast enough.

He hoped Ardyn was wrong, that the others would take him back. What would he do if they didn’t? He couldn’t think of it, not now.

“My lord?” a voice called. Ignis slid to a stop. He concentrated for a moment. He was near the bridge leading out of the city.

“My lord? I left the headlights where you asked.”

Ah, this was Jordan. Ignis bowed his head, taking a deep breath.

“Are they near?” Ignis asked.

“Yes, would you like me to grab them for you?”

Ignis nodded. He listened briefly as Jordan walked away, and then came back. The boy pressed a bag into his hands. Ignis lifted it.

“I managed to find 23 of them.”

“Thank you,” Ignis said.

“Are you leaving?” Jordan asked. He wondered if he was about to be struck down by Skaeling for asking a question, but Skaeling was acting weird.

“Yes,” Ignis said.

“Oh!” Jordan was surprised.

“You should leave, too. Get out of the city. Run. Go to Hammerhead, Lestallum, anywhere but here.”

“Uh…my lord Skaeling?”

“Ignis.”

“What?” Jordan was really confused now.

“My name is Ignis.”

Jordan stared at him, his eyes wide. Skaeling, no, Ignis, had blood spattered across his face and his eye still swam with Darkness, but he felt different to Jordan. 

“What’s going to happen in the city?” Jordan asked. He had never left Insomnia in his life.

“Nothing good,” Ignis said. He reached into the bag and handed one of the lights to Jordan. “Maybe you can turn it into a personal light of some kind.”

Jordan stared at the light in his hand. He looked back at Ignis. Ignis seemed to feel his eyes on him.

“You should run. Tell no one what you’ve done for me. Ever. No one must know.”

“I…okay.”

Ignis nodded, throwing the bag over his shoulder. Ignis turned and started running across the bridge. Jordan would have to take care of himself.

Jordan watched as a huge daemon, a Naga by the looks of it, rushed towards Ignis. He almost called out to him, but Darkness swirled from Ignis’ body and stabbed into the Naga’s head. It fell at Ignis’ feet, waiting.

Ignis leapt onto its head, and the Naga surged off into the night.

Jordan turned away. He wondered if he should leave. He turned the light over in his hand. He would think about it.

FFXV

Gladio dropped the crate he was carrying and stood up, stretching his back. Cindy walked by.

“Gettin’ too old for this, eh, Gladio?”

Gladio laughed shortly. “Not a chance. Prompto was very enthusiastic last night.”

Cindy held up her hand. “I don’t wanna know.”

He grinned and followed her out of the garage. Their relationship with Cindy was repaired. After Costlemark, they had all come out to Hammerhead to talk it over with Cid, and Gladio had cornered Cindy and apologized profusely. 

She had accepted, and they moved on. That had been two years ago. Ignis had been gone, presumed dead, for four years. 

They figured out that the Izunia character they had discovered had been a king, but they weren’t able to find anything about the Crystal or the ring. It was frustrating, especially since they weren’t able to find anything about the half remembered prophecy that Cor had told them about.

The group was at Hammerhead, even Cor, who was rarely able to get away from Lestallum. He enjoyed getting to talk with Cid, and he went out on hunts with Gladio and Prompto when they were in Hammerhead.

“Daemon incoming!” Frankie yelled. He was standing on one of the platforms, on watch. “Naga!”

Gladio and Cindy looked at each other, frowning. Nagas were rarely seen this close to Hammerhead. Other hunters started running, grabbing rifles and setting up along the permeter. Prompto and Cor rushed out of Takka’s, joining Gladio and Cindy on the platform next to Frankie.

“Uh, Miss Cindy?” Frankie asked.

“Yeah?”

“I think there’s a man riding the daemon.”

Gladio, Prompto, Cor, and Cindy stared at him. “What?” Prompto asked.

Cindy grabbed the binoculars from Frankie.

Cor called out the other hunters. “Prepare to open fire!”

Cindy looked through the binoculars and focused on the Naga’s head. She stared hard, and cursed.

She shoved the binoculars into Frankie’s hands.

“Anyone pulls a trigger I will put a bullet in your ass myself!” Cindy bellowed, leaping down from the platform.

Cor spun to face her. “What?”

“You heard me, Marshal, rack those weapons.”

Everyone stared at each other. “Are you nuts?” Gladio asked. Cindy didn’t answer. They watched as the Naga stopped outside the gate, twisting and screaming from the light hitting it.

Cindy ran to the gate. The man riding the Naga leapt to the ground, and the daemon spun, disappearing back into the night. Cindy threw the gate open. Gladio and the others rushed towards her. 

Was she insane?

Cindy put her hands on her hips and stared at the man standing before her. “Ignis, you are the craziest son of a voretooth I’ve ever met.”

Ignis smiled, dropping his bag at his feet. “I come bearing gifts,” he said softly.

She opened the bag and grinned. Headlights. She flung her arms around him in a quick hug. He tensed, shocked that she would hug him.

“Gladio and the others are here,” she hissed in his ear.

Ignis slammed his right eye shut, knowing it would be black. He cursed silently. He had hoped that they wouldn’t be here, that he would have some time to decompress before facing them. 

“Here,” Cindy whispered, pressing a reflective visor into his hand. He slid it over his face. Gods, he owed this woman so much.

“And you just happen to carry this around with you?” Ignis asked softly.

Cindy laughed quietly, stepping back and picking up the bag of headlights. “Ya know me, I like to be prepared for anything.”

Ignis bowed his head slightly. “Thank you.”

Gladio stared in shock. Ignis? It was Ignis? Ignis was alive? Prompto clung to his hand, covering his mouth his with other hand. 

Neither one noticed Cor’s face go completely white. Iris and Talcott rushed out, staring in shock.

“You’re alive?” Gladio croaked, staring at Ignis. He looked so…different. He had long hair, for one, and was wearing some strange, very fancy clothing. It looked like he had blood spattered across his face.

Ignis took a deep breath and lifted his head. “More or less,” he said softly, following Cindy into Hammerhead.

“You’ve been gone four years and you just show up on the back of a daemon?” Cor asked, his voice low. “You want to explain that?”

Ignis turned his head towards Cor, his face hard. “No.”

Cor opened his mouth to retort. Iris kicked him. “Not now,” she hissed. Cor glared at her. She glared right back.

Gladio stared at Ignis, his chest tight. Ignis was alive. He had thought Ignis was dead. He thought that he would never have the chance to apologize.

“Ignis?”

“Yes, Gladio?” Ignis said. He seemed like he was guarding himself.

“Gods…I…It’s good to see you.”

Ignis tilted his head and bowed slightly. He was tense. The blood on his face itched. His back still wept blood.

“I gotta ask though,” Gladio said. Ignis went rigid. “Who’s closet did you raid for that masquerade costume?”

Ignis frowned, fingering the jacket. “What do you mean?”

Cor looked at Ignis’ clothes. They were very fine, well-tailored. “They were the height of court fashion, oh, about 2000 years ago or so.” Why was everything coming back to 2000 years ago? The prophecy, Costlemark, and now Ignis looking like he had just stepped out of a painting.

Ignis went completely rigid. His face clouded with anger and he snarled. Gladio stepped back as Ignis tore the jacket from his body, throwing it away from him. 

Damn that man, Ignis thought, tearing the bloody shirt from his back. Damn him for dressing him like Izunia. He should’ve known.

Gladio’s eyes widened in shock when he saw Ignis’ back. “Oh gods, Ignis, what happened to you?” Old scars ran across Ignis’ back, so thick that Gladio couldn’t see unmarred skin. There were some that seemed to be years old, and others that still leaked blood.

Ignis froze. Oh. Right. He shouldn’t have divested himself of his clothing so quickly.

“Nothing of consequence,” Ignis said stiffly.

“Behemoth shit,” Gladio said, “someone did that to you.”

Cor stared in horror. He had seen wounds like that before; they were caused by Darkness. He reached out to touch Ignis’ back. Ignis suddenly had his wrist in a come along grip, and one second Cor was staring at Ignis’ back, the next, he was on the ground with Ignis straddling him, a dagger at this throat.

“No one touches me without permission!” Ignis snarled, the point of the dagger breaking the skin of Cor’s throat. “Never again!”

Gladio and Prompto stared in shock at the dagger. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. It had materialized in his hand.

Ignis pressed the dagger harder into Cor’s neck, his teeth bared. No one would touch him without permission.

“Forgive me,” Cor whispered, “I should not have touched you.”

Ignis didn’t move. The blade trembled against Cor’s neck. He panted. He wanted to feel Cor’s blood rush over his hands, his skin part beneath the blade.

“How did you do that?” Prompto whispered, staring at the dagger in Ignis’ hands.

Ignis shook his head, Prompto’s voice breaking him from his anger. The dagger disappeared and Ignis stood up, leaving Cor panting on the ground.

“Do what?” Ignis asked, reaching up and pulling the tie out of his hair. Prompto stared as his hair fell around his shoulders. It was a good look. It was distracting.

“The dagger,” Gladio said. Ignis frowned at him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You summoned your dagger. Noct’s dead. You shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

Ignis’ eye widened in shock. “You don’t know?” he muttered.

“Know what?” Prompto asked, helping Cor to his feet. Iris pressed a bandage against Cor’s neck, stemming the blood flow.

“He’s not dead. He’s in the Crystal.”

Gladio shook his head. “No. We tried to summon our weapons after…after we got back from Gralea. We couldn’t.”

“And you haven’t tried since?” Ignis asked, incredulous. 

“It hurt too much,” Prompto said. “It hurt too much to know Noctis was dead.”

Ignis ran his fingers though his hair. “I never imagined you wouldn’t even try to summon anything,” he muttered.

“How long have you known?” Gladio croaked.

Ignis tilted his head. He couldn’t believe they had never even tried. Fools, the lot of them. 

“Since the first year,” Cindy said, speaking up from behind Ignis. She had taken her headlights back to the garage. “Since the prince’s birthday that first year.”

Gladio stared at Ignis. “You never told us?”

Ignis snorted. “You never once spoke to me during that time. When would I have had the opportunity to tell you?”

Gladio flinched.

Prompto lifted his hands and summoned his guns. He laughed, and then started crying. Gladio watched him, and summoned his own Greatsword. It came immediately to his hands.

Oh gods, Noctis was alive.

Ignis heard them crying. He shook his head, flinching as his hair brushed the wounds on his back. He turned to Cindy, ignoring Gladio, Prompto, and Cor.

“Cindy, would you do something for me?” he asked.

“Of course, Ignis. What?”

“Cut my hair,” he said. She took his wrist and led him to the garage. The others didn’t seem to notice. Gladio held Prompto, and the others flung themselves at each other, hugging and crying.

Noctis was alive.

FFXV

Cindy glanced at Ignis. His face was tight, and he looked somewhere between furiously angry and in pain. She led him to his old room, Papa’s old office. It still had his bed in it, left relatively untouched since Ignis had left.

“You want a potion or somethin’ for your back?” Cindy asked.

Ignis shook his head. “Curatives and magic do not work on these wounds. They must heal on their own. I thank you, though.”

“Rough,” Cindy said, “you want a shirt?”

“That would be nice,” Ignis said. Cindy handed him a long sleeved Hammerhead shirt. Ignis pulled it on, pulling his hair out from the collar. He relaxed the moment his back was covered from prying eyes.

He shouldn’t have thrown Cor on the ground the way he had, but he hadn’t even thought. He had just reacted, throwing the Marshal to the ground and nearly killing him.

He snorted softly. When he was younger, he had never once thought he’d be able to best ‘The Immortal’, but being trained by someone who actually was immortal gave him a decided edge.

Cindy directed him to a chair. “What’dya want for your hair?” she asked.

He sat, still slightly tense. He hadn’t been around someone besides Ardyn (no, he wouldn’t think of Ardyn) or the people he had murdered for four years. It was strange.

“Something different,” Ignis said, “not long.”

“It is a good look for you,” Cindy said.

“I’m sure, but I can’t…no. I cannot have long hair anymore. It needs to be different.”

“Okie dokie,” Cindy said. She wasn’t going to argue. “I have to brush it a bit before I cut it. That okay?”

Ignis nodded curtly, taking off the visor and sitting stiff under her hands as she gently brushed his hair. It seemed darker long, she thought, dried flakes of blood flicking out of his hair with every stroke of the brush. She didn’t mention it, but she did hand him a wet clothe to wipe the blood from his face.

She took a pair of scissors and he went completely rigid with the first gentle snip. She froze, and slowly put one hand on his shoulder. He was practically vibrating with tension under her hand.

“I swear I’m not gonna hurt you, Ignis.”

He took a shuddering breath and relaxed marginally. No, Cindy wasn’t Ardyn. Cindy wouldn’t take the scissors and jam them into his shoulder for spite.

“Okay?” Cindy asked.

Ignis nodded again, thankful that Cindy wasn’t asking any questions.

Cindy worked quickly, wanting this to be over. What to do with his hair, though? Aha! Her eyes lit up.

She left the top fairly long and reached over into a toolbox. Long ago she had found the styling gel that the prince had favored and stuck it in the toolbox. She had meant to give it to him, but then Altissia had happened and everything went sideways in a hurry.

She ran her fingers through Ignis’ hair, styling it. She stepped back with a grin.

“Done!”

Ignis lifted his hand and felt his hair. His eyebrow shot up.

“Did you just give me a pompadour?” he asked.

“Ye-up,” Cindy said.

“Heavens, why?”

“Why not?” Cindy replied, pressing the gel into his hands. “Trust me, it’s a damn good look for you.”

Ignis blinked at her, his right eye still completely engulfed in Darkness. He shook his head, a slight smile on his face as he put the visor back on.

Well, it was different, at least.

FFXV

Gladio stared at his Greatsword. Noctis was alive. Gods, that meant Ardyn had been telling the truth all those years ago.

He looked up. Cor was seated in Takka’s, Iris kneeling before him and carefully stitching the wound on his neck. Cor looked angry, not that Gladio blamed him.

He couldn’t get those horrid wounds on Ignis’ back out of his mind. What had happened to Ignis over the past four years? They almost looked like wounds inflicted by a whip of some kind, but Gladio didn’t know for certain.

All he knew was that the abuse had apparently happened over a long period of time. 

Why did Ignis come back now? Had he been held against his will? What did he know of Noctis and the Crystal?

Prompto sat with Talcott, watching Iris work on Cor. 

“This would go faster if you would relax,” Iris chided him. The wound had not stopped bleeding, and for some reason the potion Cor had drank hadn’t touched the cut.

Cor let out a breath and tried to sit still. Iris’ calloused hands worked quickly, fingers flying over his neck.

“I can’t believe Noct is alive,” Prompto said, summoning his guns again because he could. He stared at them for a moment, letting them disappear with a snort. “I can’t believe we never thought to try again.”

“Like you said, it hurt too much,” Gladio said softly, sending his Greatsword away. He smiled at Prompto. They would see Noct again. Ignis was alive, if changed. There was definitely something strange about Ignis.

The look on Ignis’ face as he had pressed a dagger into Cor’s throat unnerved Gladio. He had seen rage like that once before on Ignis’ face, directed at him in the mine in Cartanica. He knew without a doubt that this Ignis would not hesitate to kill him if given half a reason. He couldn’t think about it.

They had abandoned Ignis before. He would do his damnedest to make sure he didn’t do it again. 

The door opened and Cindy and Ignis walked in. Gladio stared at Ignis. He looked completely different than he had when he had arrived on the back of a gods damn daemon. He wore a Hammerhead shirt, the same pants and knee high boots. His hair was styled in a pompadour, of all things, but Gladio thought it worked for him.

Cor tensed beneath Iris’ hands. Iris smacked him. He glared at her.

Ignis felt the mood in the room shift as he walked in. He paused. Gods, what if Ardyn had been right?

Talcott looked at him. “Sweet hair!”

Prompto laughed. Ignis relaxed slightly, sitting down carefully in one of the booths. 

Gladio sat down across from Ignis, trying to see under the visor Cindy had given him. He couldn’t.

“We thought you were dead,” Gladio said softly. Ignis didn’t know what to say. Gladio hadn’t talked to him the entire time after Gralea. Ignis had not expected to be thrown back into conversation with them so soon after leaving Ardyn.

“A few times I nearly was,” Ignis said simply.

“What were you doing all this time?” Prompto asked from his spot across the room. Ignis turned his head slightly. Was Prompto okay talking to him? Had Prompto moved on from the torture inflicted on him by Ardyn-as-Ignis in Gralea? It wasn’t something he could just up and ask.

“Surviving,” Ignis said.

“Where did you stay?” Iris asked, wrapping a bandage around Cor’s neck.

Ignis paused only briefly. “The palace. The tribes of people wouldn’t touch it.”

“So it’s true?” Talcott whispered. “The survivors turned into tribes? Are they really cannibalistic?”

Ignis wondered how much they had heard. His hand clenched under the table. Gods, what if they knew about Skaeling?

“Yes, to both questions.”

“Whoa,” Talcott said. Iris stood up and cleaned up the med kit. Cor nodded his thanks to her.

“How did you survive?” Cor asked, his voice low. The description of Skaeling matched the Ignis that had shown up on the back of a Naga exactly.

Ignis turned his head until he faced Cor. Cor didn’t trust him. “I did what I had to do,” Ignis said. What I wanted to do, he thought.

“You disappear off the face of Eos for four years, come back looking very fit on the back of a fucking daemon, and you expect us to just accept that and welcome you back with open arms?” Cor snapped.

Ignis smiled. It was not a kind smile. Prompto’s eyes widened. That smile brought back memories of being tortured. 

“And tell, Marshal,” the title sounded sarcastic, “when did you all decide to start caring about me? Was it before or after I left? When did you all suddenly remember I fucking existed?” he ended in a roar.

No one moved.

“You didn’t ask after me, you didn’t seem to remember I was even alive after Gralea. I needed you!” Ignis snarled, his fists clenched on the table. “How can you blame me for disappearing when it seemed like you all had already forgotten me?”

“Ignis,” Gladio whispered, his eyes wide. 

Cor stared at Ignis, his eyes hard. Ignis panted, he could feel it inside Cor. Ardyn had been right, every human had that Darkness that could be so easily corrupted by the Starscourge inside them. It would be so easy for Ignis to reach out and take it from Cor, twisting him into a daemon. He remembered the feel of Cor’s body beneath his, blood flowing over his neck. He wanted more of it.

Ignis slowly let out a breath, trying to relax his hands. 

“I’m so sorry,” Prompto said. Ignis didn’t move, but his shoulders tensed. “I’m so sorry we abandoned you, Ignis.”

Ignis felt the knot of anger and hatred and violence that seemed to be such an integral part of him. He tried to relax, to get that knot to loosen. He hadn’t come back to throw the past eight years in their faces.

Ignis leaned back in the seat, closing his eye. 

“What can we do?” Gladio asked. 

Ignis sighed. “Noctis is coming back, when, I do not know for sure. We need to be able to fight together, Gladiolus. He’s going to need all of us.”

“Not without you telling us what you did the past four years,” Cor said. He wasn’t willing to drop it. If Ignis really was Skaeling…gods, he didn’t want to think of it.

Ignis rolled his neck and stood up, striding across the room directly to Cor. “I’ll make you a deal, Marshal. You defeat me in one on one combat, and I’ll tell you everything. I win, and you shut the hell up and never ask me about it again.” His voice was hard, his face inches from Cor’s.

Cor was damn good at fighting, he knew that, everyone knew that. Gladio was about evenly matched with him, although Cor still tended to win their bouts more often than not. Age and cunning over brawn, Cor always told him.

Ignis had been good at fighting, but Gladio had been better. Cor figured the only reason Ignis had been able to get the drop on him before was because Cor hadn’t been expecting it, and he had been absolutely shocked at the wounds on Ignis’ back. 

“Fine,” Cor said shortly, “now?”

“Why wait?” Ignis drawled, turning and stalking out to the blacktop. 

Gladio stopped Cor. “What the hell are you doing?” he hissed.

“We need to know, Gladio,” Cor said seriously. There was something Cor wasn’t telling him. 

“He just came back, Cor! Can we not chase him off again?”

“We need to know what he was doing these past four years. How could a blind man survive Insomnia with the reports we had coming out of there?”

Gladio stepped back. “I don’t know.” He took a deep breath and looked hard at Cor. “But what I do know is that Noctis is going to need all of us when he comes back, and let’s be honest, he’s going to be livid when he finds out what we did to Ignis. You really want to drive Ignis away again?”

Cor bowed his head. “I have to try, Gladio. If he can defeat me, I will remain quiet.” 

But I won’t stop trying to figure out if he really is Skaeling, Cor thought to himself. The thought of the Monster of Insomnia standing beside the King of Light was terrifying.

Ignis poked his head back in. “Lose your nerve already, Marshal?” he taunted. 

Gladio’s eyes widened. Ignis had never taunted anyone like that before. What had happened in those four years?

Cor strode out after Ignis, picking up his blade and swinging it. He wasn’t light headed from blood loss, so that was good.

Ignis stood before him, and Cor glanced around. They were surrounded by the denizens of Hammerhead, hunters watching them with hooded eyes. Ignis heard them whispering. They were looking forward to watching ‘The Immortal’ fight. They were taking bets on how long Ignis would last, saying his immediate take down of Cor earlier was a fluke.

He smiled, summoning his daggers. He wanted to summon the katana, but he didn’t want to explain that. He refused to explain where it had come from.

“First blood?” Cor asked.

Ignis bared his teeth, sketching out a mocking bow. “Of course.”

Cor lunged forward, his blade snapping out. Ignis danced out of the way, a laugh on his lips. Cor snarled, slashing at him. Ignis chuckled, always one step ahead of Cor.

How in the hell was the blind man doing it? Cor thought. It shouldn’t be possible. Cor was starting to breathe hard, sweat breaking out on his brow, and Ignis seemed just as fresh as ever, a twisted smile on his face.

Ignis let Cor attack him, always just out of the way of Cor’s blade. Cor was getting angry, he could sense it. He could hear the worried whispers of everyone watching. How was this possible?

Ignis sighed, parrying the blade. Enough of this façade. He stepped forward as Cor lunged, ducking the blade and slamming the hilt of his dagger into Cor’s gut. Cor doubled over, air rushing from his lungs. Ignis spun around him, his arms coming around Cor’s neck and the dagger slicing a neat cut across his cheek. 

He held Cor, the older man’s body straining against him. He pressed his lips against Cor’s ear. Cor’s blade hit the ground with a clatter.

“First blood is mine,” Ignis said flatly in his ear. His heart pounded. Oh, how he wanted to cut into Cor, feel his blood rush over his hands. How he wanted to reach into the man and twist him to his own purposes.

No. He had left Ardyn to stop doing that sort of thing.

Cor froze, his eyes wide, the point of Ignis’ dagger resting against his cheek. How in the hell had Ignis become so utterly deadly in four years? Someone would’ve had to train him, but who was that good?

“First blood is yours,” Cor said, swallowing. Ignis’ arms tightened ever so slightly around his neck. It almost felt like a warning. I could’ve killed you, the warning said, but I’m letting you live. 

Ignis dropped his arms and stepped back, his daggers vanishing. Cor picked up his blade, trying to hide his shaking fingers.

Ignis turned and walked back to Takka’s. He was hungry.

The hunters parted before him like a wave, eyes wide and silent. Some remembered him from before, Miss Cindy’s Pet Lunatic; quiet, going out on hunts by himself, helping Cindy with the cars. This Ignis radiated violence. They wouldn’t tease him as they once had, not after the display he just put on. 

Iris rushed up to Cor, muttering under her breath about stupid men needing to prove the size of their dicks. She dragged him to Takka’s, shoving him into a seat so she could stitch his cheek. Ignis had sliced deep.

Ignis moved effortlessly in the kitchen, whipping something up from whatever was handy. Prompto and Gladio watched him, eyes wide. They glanced at each other, and then back at Ignis.

They wouldn’t ask what had happened, but it would haunt them, eat at them.

Cor stared at the ground, Iris’ hands on him again as she closed another wound from Ignis. Why wouldn’t potions work on those wounds? How had Ignis become such a fierce fighter?

Ignis hummed as he cooked. He could feel the tension in the room, but he ignored it. He was away from Ardyn. He had curbed his impulse to kill Cor.

Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up.

FFXV

Gladio and the others were preparing to head back to Lestallum. He and Prompto walked slowly around Hammerhead, their gloved hands intertwined. Everyone wore gloves and jackets all the time outside now. Eight years of darkness left Eos a very cold place.

They found Ignis with Cindy in the garage, under the Regalia. Cindy had been slowly working on it, but it still had a long ways to go. Ignis had thrown himself immediately back into working on the cars. He had helped Cindy install the headlights on Talcott’s truck.

“Hey, Ignis?” Gladio asked.

“One moment, please,” Ignis said, his legs shifting. Cindy pushed out from under the Regalia, and Ignis followed a moment later. He stood up, wiping his hands on his coveralls.

His hair was still in the ridiculous pompadour, but it made Gladio smile. At least he looked more like the old Ignis like that, not some court noble from 2000 years ago.

“Yes?” Ignis asked. He wasn’t wearing his visor, and Gladio could see his right eye clearly for the first time since before Gralea. It looked relatively normal, save for the iris of his eye being stone grey with flecks of green in it.

“We’re getting ready to head back to Lestallum,” Gladio said, “you’re welcome to join us.”

Ignis looked briefly surprised. He had sat with Gladio and Prompto and the three of them had talked. It had been stilted and awkward, but they were trying. They had agreed to go on hunts with Ignis after he settled back down.

Ignis smiled slightly and bowed fractionally. “While I thank you for the offer, I do not think I’d do well in cities anymore.” No, it would be bad if he went to Lestallum. The crush of people around him would wake Skaeling and the desire for blood and death.

“Are you sure?” Prompto asked. 

“I am. I will remain here.”

Gladio sighed. He’d figured Ignis would say no, but he’d had to ask. Cor had not been happy with the idea, but Gladio had refused to think about leaving without at least asking Ignis to join them.

“We’ll be back in a month,” Gladio said. He wanted to clap Ignis on the shoulder, but he remembered all too well the reaction Ignis had when Cor had touched him. No one touches me without permission, he’d said. “We’ll go on that hunt then.”

“Try to leave a couple for us,” Prompto said.

Ignis managed a smile. “I’m sure there will be no shortage of daemons to hunt.”

“Do you have a phone so we can keep in touch?” Gladio asked. Better late than never.

Ignis shook his head. “Touchscreens are quite useless to me. If you need me, get a hold of Cindy. I will go through her if I need to talk to you before you return.”

“Sounds good.”

They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Ignis was still bitter at them, but he tried to keep it hidden. Gladio and Prompto didn’t know how to act around him.

“I’m glad you’re not dead,” Gladio finally said. “See you in a month.”

Ignis nodded. “Goodbye, Gladio, Prompto.”

“Bye, Ignis,” Prompto said, “Cindy.” He hugged Cindy briefly. Gladio lifted his hand in farewell.

They climbed into Talcott’s truck and started the long drive back to Lestallum. 

Ignis went back to working on the Regalia, Cindy chatting about nothing as they worked.

FFXV

Time passed. Every month found Gladio and Prompto, and sometimes Aranea, Iris, and Talcott, at Hammerhead. Cor never came. They would go on hunts with Ignis, marveling at his fighting ability. Most of the time, it was only the three of them.

Gladio and Prompto never asked what Ignis had done during his four year absence. 

It didn’t take long for Ignis to figure out that Gladio and Prompto were in a relationship. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. They never came out and told him (they never told him they had been married for years), but the havens were quiet and he had excellent hearing. They would wait until they thought he was asleep, and then Ignis would hear them kissing, whispering soft nothings to each other, fucking each other.

Ignis hated them in those moments. 

They had each other. He had no one. 

No one touched him, and he missed it. Cindy was the only one who would occasionally drop a hand on his shoulder, but never more than that. He knew part of it was him; he tensed up horribly whenever someone touched him, but he still craved touch. He craved love.

Gladio and Prompto had each other, and he was left on the outside, plagued by memories of Ardyn’s hands and lips and cock, missing the violence, the death, the blood.

He went on hunts by himself a few times a month. He tried to resist drinking the daemons, he really did, but he found himself growing angry and snapping out at Cindy, dreaming of doing things to her and the others at Hammerhead if he went too long without it.

A year after he went back to Hammerhead, he was on a hunt alone when he came across a group of hunters, led by Jones.

Ignis remembered Jones well. It had been Jones that had destroyed Ignis’ peaceful oblivion. Jones had been the first human he had nearly killed.

Jones and his men had been sitting at a haven a few days away from Hammerhead. He hadn’t been back there since Cindy had sent him away after that freak Ignis had nearly killed him. He still burned with hatred for the blind man.

He had never been so shocked when that very same blind man walked onto the haven.

Ignis had followed the feel of that whispering Darkness in the souls of men. As soon as he heard Jones’ voice, he growled.

“Well, well, well,” Jones said, “I heard you were back from Insomnia, freak.”

The other men, loyal to Jones, laughed. They had followed him out here from Lestallum because Jones didn’t care how they killed daemons. Cor and Dave wanted it done quickly and efficiently, mercifully, because they knew they used to be humans, but Jones took his time.

He always imagined Ignis’ face on the daemon’s.

Ignis tilted his head. Eight men. Their blood sang with violence, with barely concealed Darkness. Ignis licked his lips.

It had been so long.

For a year, he’d been mostly good. He had drank the daemons dry, but he hadn’t turned a single human, he hadn’t murdered anyone. He missed it, even if he didn’t admit it to himself.

He’d had only normal dreams. Ardyn had left him alone, Lunafreya had left him alone (he regretted attacking her in the last dream, before he left Insomnia. He wished he could apologize to her). His dreams had been normal, flashes of memory, strange flights of fancy.

Jones stood before Ignis, and Ignis hated him. 

“The daemon killing hasn’t been as good since you came back,” Jones drawled, walking around Ignis.

“Pity,” Ignis said.

Jones eyes widened. He couldn’t remember if he had ever heard Ignis’ voice before. Ignis crossed his arms and tilted his head. He could feel the malevolence and hatred seeping from the men. They weren’t very far from being daemons on their own.

He remembered that Gladio had mentioned that Jones had disappeared a few years back. He had been a discipline problem for ages.

“Of course,” Jones said, stepping close to Ignis, “we’ve got something better than a daemon right here, don’t we boys?”

His men laughed, getting to their feet and surrounding Ignis.

Ignis smiled. Oh, good. Skaeling was going to get to play.

“You like hunting daemons?” Ignis asked.

“Hell yeah,” Jones said. “I love the little noises their bodies make when we kill them.”

Ignis felt a flare of disgust. It was how he felt about killing humans. He shook his head minutely, dislodging the thought. 

“Do you know what’s better than killing daemons?” Ignis asked conversationally, reaching out and touching Jones’ shoulder.

Jones stared at Ignis’ hand for a moment, then looked back at Ignis’ face.

“What?” Jones asked. He was suddenly afraid. Something changed in Ignis’ face, almost like he became a different person.

Ignis leaned forward, reaching into himself for the Darkness that always roiled just beneath the surface. Jones watched in terror as Ignis’ eye bled black.

“Killing humans,” Skaeling hissed. The katana appeared in his hand and he drove it into Jones’ chest, lifting the man off his feet. He wrenched the blade sideways, tearing free from Jones’ flesh. He had nearly bisected Jones.

The others screamed. Most of them leapt towards him, drawing their own weapons and attacking. Skaeling giggled, their flesh parting before his blade.

Gods, it felt good to kill these men. To let out all the rage and fear and insecurities he’d felt since he had come back to Hammerhead. 

Two of the men ran. Ignis let them. He could find them easily enough. It didn’t take long for the men who had stayed to fight were dead, littering the haven with blood and bone and flesh.

Skaeling threw his head back and screamed, a guttural, hunting cry. He could feel the terror of the two that had fled and he descended on them. He grabbed one, spearing him with Darkness and twisting his body until a hobgoblin huddled before him. The other man screamed and screamed and screamed, staring at the nightmare come to life before him.

Skaeling took his time, and the man finally stopped screaming.

Ignis dropped his body, Darkness writhing around him. He walked back to the haven and threw a fire spell at the bodies, incinerating them.

He felt ill. He shouldn’t have done that.

He sat on the edge of the haven, the heat from his fire spell at his back, the coldness of the long night against his front. It was nothing compared to the coldness inside him.

He bowed his head and wept.

FFXV

Ten years.

It had been ten years since Noctis had been devoured by the Crystal. Ten years since Gladio and Prompto had first kissed, leaving Ignis behind a broken man. Seven years since Ignis had joined Ardyn and Gladio and Prompto married. Roughly two years since Ignis had come back, and reports of the Monster of Insomnia had ceased.

A year since Skaeling had murdered Jones and his followers. Ignis never mentioned it, burying it along with his multitude of sins. He never killed another human, but he drank daemons dry and hunted them. He was careful to wear his visor whenever Gladio and Prompto were around. He didn’t want to risk them seeing the Darkness seep into his eye. Cindy had seen it before, but she never mentioned it. She had proven to be a true friend. She never judged him, and he was grateful.

Ten years.

Ignis woke with a start. His room was freezing, and he felt a warm tongue suddenly rub against his face.

“What the hell?” he said, reaching out and feeling…a dog?

“Umbra?” he whispered, his heart suddenly hammering. His face was licked again.

“The king of king returns,” Gentiana’s voice came from the foot of his bed. Ignis froze.

“What?” he said, his voice thick with shock.

“In one week, the king of king will be free of the Crystal. Prepare yourself.”

Ignis shook, covering his mouth. Umbra nudged him. Ignis felt his eye burn with unshed tears. Oh gods, he wasn’t ready for Noctis had come back.

Noctis would hate him.

He swallowed hard, his fingers running over Umbra’s head.

Umbra brought back so many memories. Suddenly, Ignis could clearly remember making love to Noctis that first time; the feel of their bodies moving together, Noct’s teeth in his shoulder (that beloved scar long covered by wounds inflicted by Ardyn, by Darkness), loving each other. 

What would his life be like if Noctis had never gone back? Would they have ever made love? Would he be what he was?

No, he wouldn’t think like that. Noctis going back and loving him had been a gift.

“Gentiana?” he whispered. He couldn’t hear her moving or breathing. He didn’t even know if she was there. That was the problem with ethereal beings; they didn’t have to breathe.

He sighed. “I don’t know if you can hear me,” Ignis started slowly, “but I…I just wanted to thank you, for giving Noctis the opportunity…the ability…to go back to me all those years ago after Altissia. I…just…thank you.”

There was no response and Ignis’ shoulders slumped.

He gasped when he felt a soft pair of lips press against his forehead. Ice seemed to run through him at her touch, and it almost felt like a final benediction.

“If you still speak to Lady Lunafreya, please tell her I’m so sorry for what I did,” Ignis said. He felt Gentiana’s hand touch his shoulder. “I’m so sorry for everything.”

There was no response.

Umbra licked his face again. Ignis stroked him and stood up, walking over to the small desk and pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote something quickly and then walked out to the garage.

Cindy looked up as Ignis walked out of his room, her eyes falling to the dog at his feet.

“Where on Eos did that dog come from?” she asked, hands on her hips.

“He’s not quite a dog,” Ignis said. He held the piece of paper out to her. “Is this legible?”

Cindy frowned, reading it. “ ‘Be waiting for you in Hammerhead’. What…oh gods, Ignis. Is he?”

Ignis nodded slowly, kneeling down and attaching the paper to Umbra’s collar. “One week,” he said hoarsely. Umbra put his paw on Ignis’ knee, and Ignis felt a heat like the heat from the Crystal sink into his skin.

Umbra barked softly and turned and ran off. He had a king to greet.

Ignis stood up, his face slack with shock. Cindy watched him.

“You okay?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Ignis said with a soft laugh. “Can you call Gladio for me?”

“’Course.” She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Gladio’s number. She handed Ignis the phone. “It’s ringing.”

FFXV

Gladio sat on the couch in the Leville, Prompto curled against him. Iris and Aranea sat across from them, playing chess. Talcott was going through reports of daemons, and Cor sat in the chair, his head back and eyes closed.

Gladio jumped when his phone started ringing. He picked it up and looked at it; Cindy’s number.

“Hey, Cindy,” he said, answering it.

_“It’s Ignis,”_ the voice came from the other end. Gladio sat up suddenly. 

“Ignis?” he asked. Everyone else froze and looked at him. Ignis had never called before. “What’s up?”

He heard Ignis swallow. 

_“You need to get to Hammerhead. You and Prompto.”_

“What’s happened? Did something happen to Cindy? Cid? Talk to me Ignis!”

_“He’s coming back.”_

Gladio sat there, the phone against his ear. Everyone else stared at him, waiting. They couldn’t hear what Ignis was saying. “You’re…you’re sure?” he croaked.

_“Gentiana came to me. One week.”_

“Oh, holy shit.”

_“Umbra took a missive to him. He’s going to meet us in Hammerhead.”_

“We’ll be there in two days at the latest.” 

_“Of course,”_ Ignis said. Gladio thought he sounded slightly shocked. Ignis hung up.

“What the hell was that about?” Aranea asked. Gladio looked up, and his face broke into a smile.

“Noct’s coming back. Ignis said Gentiana came to him and told him Noct would be back in a week.”

For a heartbeat, no one moved.

Prompto cheered, Talcott threw his arms around Cor, Iris laughed, clapping her hands. The king was coming back.

Prompto leapt to his feet. “We have to pack, get ready to go.” He bolted up the stairs to his and Gladio’s room.

Cor watched Gladio. “Did he say anything else?”

Gladio shook his head, knowing Cor didn’t trust Ignis. “Just that Umbra was taking a message to wherever Noct is, and that he’s going to meet us in Hammerhead.”

Cor nodded. “Guess we should get ready then,” he said, standing up. Finally, the long wait could be ending. He wanted to be there when Ignis and Noctis met again. He didn’t trust Ignis.

Gladio smiled and headed up the stairs. He found Prompto sitting on the edge of their bed, gently touching his stacked photo albums.

“You okay?” Gladio asked. 

Prompto looked up at him, smiling sadly. “I don’t know which ones to take.”

“Take them all. Noct will want to see them.”

Prompto nodded. His hand fisted on the bed as he looked up at Gladio. “Everything’s going to change now, isn’t it?”

Gladio nodded and sat down next to him, taking Prompto’s smaller hand in his. Their fingers intertwined. 

“One thing that won’t ever change is the fact that I love you,” Gladio whispered, pressing a kiss onto Prompto’s hand. Prompto smiled at him.

“I know, I love you too, you behemoth.”

“Shut it, chocobo.”

They finished packing.

FFXV

A day later, Aranea’s airship landed at Hammerhead. Talcott carefully drove his truck from the cargo hold, and the others filed out after him. They had realized that they had left some important documents at Cape Caem, and Talcott had volunteered to drive there and grab them. Caem had remained relatively untouched from the daemons, although it was so far out of the way they rarely used it.

Cor had placed the items they had taken from Costlemark there. It was safer that way. 

Talcott climbed in the truck. “If his highness comes back before I do, you’d better not leave before I get a chance to talk to him!” he said, pointing at Gladio.

Gladio laughed. “We won’t, don’t worry. Get moving, kid.”

Talcott waved and drove out the gate. 

Now, all they could do was wait.

Days passed, and exactly a week after Ignis had woken up to Gentiana, Talcott called.

Noctis was with him. 

Ignis had panicked, saying that they would talk to him when he got to Hammerhead.

They waited.

They could hear Talcott’s truck rumbling as it neared the gate. Hunters pulled the gates open and the truck inched in.

The doors opened. Talcott got out first, Umbra leaping out after him.

Ignis’ heart hammered in his chest. He heard the passenger door slam shut.

“It’s him!” Prompto whispered, actually grabbing Ignis’ arm.

Ten years.

120 months.

521 weeks.

3650 days.

87600 hours.

Noctis Lucis Caelum was back.

The king had returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you liked it, hated it, are excited, want to drown me, whatever.


	32. The Return of the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis comes back, Ignis freaks out a bit, Noct loses his shit just a tad, and Cindy tells Noct a story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoohooo! Noctis is back, bitches! I liked writing this chapter. It was fun. Except, you know, knowing what's coming. I'm freaking myself out, and I'm writing the damn thing. I'm trying to do one chapter a week, but finals are in a few weeks and I have a shit ton of papers due that I honestly haven't started (I've been busy writing this. Bite me professors) so no promises. Every two weeks at most, probably.  
> Thanks for all the comments! I hope you all like this chapter. Please please PLEASE let me know if you do.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now- The Return of the King

Noctis stared at his hands. They were different, bigger, rougher. They reminded him of his father’s hands. He tugged at the glove on his left hand. It was tight. He yanked it off, letting it slip to the ground.

He touched his face. He had a beard, and wasn’t that the weirdest thing ever. 

It was cold. Very cold. 

He heard an excited bark and looked up. “Umbra?”

Umbra skittered to a stop in front of him, staring up at him with intelligent eyes. Noctis reached out a trembling hand, stroking Umbra’s head. There was a piece of paper stuck under Umbra’s collar. Noctis pulled it out.

The hand writing was vaguely familiar, and it made Noct’s throat tighten. 

“Be waiting for you in Hammerhead,” he whispered.

He stood up. His legs felt weird. His whole body felt weird. Umbra barked again, and bounded out of the small cell he was in.

“Where the hell am I?” Noct muttered, following Umbra. He looked around. 

The darkness had a weird quality to it. Something Noct had never seen before. He rubbed his arms, trying to warm up.

“Angelgard?” he said, looking around. How in the hell had he gotten to Angelgard of all places? The last thing he remembered was…

Gralea. Ardyn. The Crystal. Bahamut.

“Son of a bitch,” he said. He remembered Bahamut talking to him, telling him of the Accursed, telling him of the sacrifice Noctis would have to make. 

He stood still, looking into the distance. He should be able to see the lights from Galdin Quay, but there was nothing. His father’s old boat was moored just offshore, which was…weird. But he had just spent gods knew how long inside a damn Crystal, so his dad’s boat showing up at Angelgard was, while not normal, he wasn’t going to bitch about it. 

Umbra leapt onto the boat and Noctis followed. The boat seemed to be in perfect working order. Again, he was wasn’t going to bitch.

The boat’s engine caught immediately, and Noctis steered towards the distant, darkened, Galdin Quay.

FFXV

Galdin Quay was overrun with daemons. A lot of daemons. 

Noct lifted his hand, the hand with the Ring of the Lucii, and called forth that burning light. He listened to the daemons scream as they were struck from existence. He staggered sideways as soon as the light disappeared.

It had been remarkably easy.

He looked down at Umbra. “It’s gonna be a long walk to Hammerhead, boy.”

Umbra barked, and took off running up the hill. Noctis sighed and took off after him.

FFXV

They reached the road after nearly an hour of hard fighting. Umbra harried the daemon’s heels, distracting them long enough for Noct to deliver the killing blow.

Noct stopped once they hit the road, standing bent over with his hands on his knees. He stared in the direction of Hammerhead. He could hear daemons. 

He sighed and looked at Umbra. “Well, guess we start walking.”

Umbra barked and started running the wrong way, down the road that eventually led to Cape Caem.

“Umbra! What is it?”

He could hear something coming. He summoned his sword and waited. A pair of headlights appeared in the distance, slowly growing brighter as they grew closer.

Well, it probably wasn’t a daemon, unless they had learned to drive since he had been in the Crystal.

The truck drew to a stop, a young man hanging out the driver’s side window. Noct walked slowly towards the truck. The man stared at him.

“Uh…”

Noct stared at him. He looked somewhat familiar, but Noctis couldn’t place him. He looked tired, and his skin was pale. He had a scar on his cheek. 

“Yeah?” Noct asked.

“It’s me, Talcott. My grandpa served the Amicitia family?”

Noctis frowned. Talcott! Oh gods, how long had he been gone?

“Talcott?”

“Yeah!”

Noctis just stared. “No way.”

Talcott couldn’t believe it. He had been afraid he was going to miss seeing Noctis again, and he was the first one to see him! He took a moment to look at Noctis. He had a beard, and his hair was longer. He looked a lot like Regis.

“Yes way! Welcome back, your Majesty.”

Noctis ran his hand over his face. Gods, what had Eos come to while he was gone? He smiled as best he could at Talcott (he still couldn’t believe this was Talcott. Talcott was still just a flannel clad kid to him).

“You wouldn’t by chance be heading to Hammerhead, would you?” Noctis asked.

Talcott smiled. “As it happens, I am. Hop in while I call ahead.”

Noctis walked around to the passenger side of the large truck, opening the door and watching as Umbra leapt in first. Noctis pulled himself in and listened as Talcott wrapped up a call.

“We should be there shortly, sir. Yes, Marshal, see you in a few.”

Talcott started the truck again and they started moving. Noctis stared at the cactuar statues lining the dash. He remembered buying those things for Talcott.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again,” Talcott said.

Noctis turned his eyes towards Talcott. “Yeah…you sure look different though.”

Talcott stared resolutely straight ahead. “You think so? Guess I’ve grown these past ten years.”

“Ten years…” Noctis whispered, closing his eyes. Oh gods, ten years? He had been trapped in the Crystal for ten years?

Oh no. Oh gods. 

Ignis. 

His hand clenched on his lap. What had happened to Ignis? He had promised Ignis he wouldn’t leave, would be there for him, and he had left for ten years. 

“What…what about the guys?” Noctis whispered. He found that he couldn’t say Ignis’ name.

Talcott looked extremely uncomfortable. “Gladio and Prompto live in Lestallum most of the time, but take monthly trips to Hammerhead. Hammerhead’s the last outpost in Leide.”

“And Ignis?” Noct said hoarsely. Gods, why hadn’t Talcott said anything about Ignis? Was he dead? Gods, please don’t let him be dead.

Talcott swallowed. “Ignis is in Hammerhead.”

Noctis relaxed slightly. He was still alive.

“Your majesty, I really don’t think I’m the one to tell you about what happened these past ten years…”

Noctis looked at him. “Why?”

Talcott glanced at him. “A lot has happened, Majesty, and I’m just not the best one to tell you about Ig-, about it.”

“What about Ignis?”

Talcott cursed himself. “Ignis is…not the man he was when you…vanished. He’s different, and I’m not the one to try to explain. I’ve hardly had any contact with him for the past ten years.” Talcott was silent for a moment. “None of us have.”

Noctis turned and looked out the window. He closed his eyes and reached into himself, searching for that deep bond that tied him to Ignis. 

His eyes flew open. 

It was gone.

Talcott was talking. Noctis tried to pull himself back to the present. “We go on hunts, get refugees to Lestallum, try to survive the long night.”

“The long night?”

“Ever since you disappeared, it’s been nothing but nighttime nonstop. Lestallum still has light thanks to the power plant, so we’ve been taking most refugees in there.”

“Only there?”

“Everywhere else has been abandoned,” Talcott said softly, “daemons moved in, people had to move out. Like I said, Hammerhead is the last outpost in Leide. It’s heavily fortified. A small group of hunters live there full time.”

“And Cid?”

“He’s still kicking. Cindy sent him to Lestallum a few years back, much to his displeasure. He comes with us when we do our monthly trips to Hammerhead. He lives for Ignis’ cooking.

“With all the daemons prowling about, people were getting hurt, or worse. Iris and Cor teamed up. ‘Iris the daemon slayer’ they call her. Gladio and Prompto help out whenever they can. They’re a great team, and they’ve helped train a lot of hunters. Aranea works with us all the time. Her airship has been a godsend.

“Ignis hunts too. He’s…scary good at it. He said…he said he’s used to the darkness.”

Noctis closed his eyes. “So he never got his vision back…”

“I’m afraid not,” Talcott said, “but he gets by. Sometimes it seems like he gets by better now than he did…before.”

Noctis wondered at that statement.

They fell into silence. Noctis stared out the window, watching the daemons and the dark landscape. Just ahead, Noctis could see bright lights.

“We’ve arrived,” Talcott said, sometime later. Noctis watched as heavily fortified gates were pulled open by two hunters. Talcott eased the truck through, pulling straight ahead.

He stopped the truck and turned it off. “Everyone will be so happy to see you, your majesty.”

Noctis nodded, his heart in his throat. He watched as people rushed out of Takka’s, staring at the truck.

Oh gods.

He opened the door after Talcott got out and stepped down. He shut the door and turned to face them.

Gladio’s hair was longer, half pulled back. He had a beard. Noct’s eyes drifted to Prompto, standing a little behind Gladio. What the hell was on Prompto’s chin? They all wore jackets and gloves. His eyes moved to Ignis.

Ignis. Oh gods, Ignis. Ignis’ hair was swept up in a pompadour, and he wore a reflective visor over his eyes. Noct could see the edges of his scar. Ignis wore a long sleeved Hammerhead shirt.

He opened his mouth to speak when Prompto squealed, throwing his arms around Noct’s neck. Noct stumbled back, his arms automatically going around Prompto’s waist.

“It’s you, it’s you, it’s you!” Prompto cried. Noct held him, chuckling.

“It’s me,” Noctis said softly.

Noctis looked up at Gladio. “Hey.”

Gladio snorted, hitting him on the shoulder as Prompto untangled himself from Noctis. “’Hey’? That’s all you have to say for yourself after all this time?”

Ignis stood back, well behind the others. For the first time in years, he was on the verge of a panic attack. What if Noctis could see it, the Darkness that consumed him?

He suddenly regretted coming back. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t do this, he couldn’t-

A hand dropped onto his shoulder and Ignis barely managed to stop himself from summoning his dagger and driving it into his king’s stomach. 

Noctis watched Ignis for a moment. Ignis reminded him a startled deer, poised to run. He walked forward and dropped his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. Ignis jerked hard, his body going rigid and his right hand flaring away from his body.

Cor, watching from the shadows, stepped forward, his eyes narrow. 

“Ignis…” Noctis said softly. Gods, Ignis was so tense under his hand. What had happened?

Ignis swallowed. “You kept us waiting.”

“Not like I had a choice,” Noctis whispered, his hand tightening on Ignis’ shoulder.

He opened his mouth to tell Ignis how good it was to see him when Iris slammed into him, yelling his name. Ignis stepped back as soon as Noct’s hand fell from his shoulder, distancing himself from the others.

“Noct!” Iris yelled. Noctis laughed, turning as Aranea and Cor walked forward. He embraced both of them and he looked around. 

Cindy walked out of the garage, wiping her hands. She stared at the group, frowning as she saw the distance between Ignis and the others. She turned and walked back into the garage.

Noctis’ eyes locked with hers briefly. She nodded shortly.

Noct turned back to the others. “Let’s sit down somewhere, we’ve got some catching up to do.”

They walked over to the chairs set up outside the old caravan. Iris dragged extra chairs over. Noct dropped into one of the chairs, and Cor sat down immediately next to him. Noctis frowned. He had wanted Ignis to sit next to him.

Prompto dropped into the chair on the other side, with Gladio next to him. Ignis ended up sitting on the other side of Cor. Noctis watched as Cor went rigid, shifting his seat so his back wasn’t to Ignis.

Interesting. What the hell had happened between Cor and Ignis?

Ignis sat next to Cor, trying to keep a frown off his face. No one spoke for a moment. 

“So…” Noct said, eyes darting from person to person. He stared at Ignis for a second. Ignis looked uncomfortable and tense.

“We thought you were dead,” Gladio said, leaning forward. 

Noctis tore his eyes from Ignis and looked at Gladio. He couldn’t feel the bond to Gladio either. That was interesting.

“What happened?” Noct asked.

“Where do you want us to start?” Prompto said dryly.

“Gralea,” Noctis said.

Gladio took a deep breath. He started talking.

FFXV

Ignis half listened to Gladio. He was fighting the urge to stand up and walk away. He hadn’t been around this many people in quite some time. He could feel the antagonism practically rolling of Cor, who hadn’t been around since Ignis had thoroughly trounced him upon his return to Hammerhead.

His hands clenched in his lap. 

All he wanted at that moment was someone to describe Noctis to him. It had been ten years, and he could barely remember what the king looked like. Surely he had to have changed. He wanted Gladio or Prompto or anyone to stop chattering for one gods damn second and tell him what Noctis looked like.

Cindy walked out of the garage, a mug in hand, and headed for the group. She heard Gladio’s voice as she walked forward, telling Noctis about the immediate aftermath of Gralea. She could see how tense Ignis was, and knew he was close to just getting up and walking away.

She walked closer, making sure the sound of her footsteps reached Ignis’ ears.

Ignis heard familiar footsteps and managed not to jump when Cindy gently touched his shoulder.

“Here,” she said, pressing the mug into his hand. He took it and sniffed it.

“Break into Cid’s whiskey stash?” he asked softly.

She grinned, ignoring the looks everyone else was giving her for interrupting. “Seemed like a good reason to break it out.”

Ignis nodded his thanks, taking a sip. Cindy stood there, her hand still on his shoulder. She lifted her head and stared hard at Noctis.

Noctis stared back at her. Ignis was slightly more relaxed around her. She tilted her head and then started talking.

“His hair is longer,” she said, and Ignis’ shoulders slumped slightly. It struck Noctis that Ignis didn’t know what he looked like, and no one had tried to describe him. From the sudden looks Prompto and Gladio were trading, they realized it too.

Cindy reached out and brushed her hand along Ignis’ jaw. “’Bout that long. He’s got a beard. Nose is a little longer, hands bigger. The Six must’ve kept him busy in that Crystal, because he’s a little more muscled. Looks a bit like King Regis. It’s a good look.”

“Thank you, Cindy,” Ignis said, clutching the mug to him.

Cindy squeezed his shoulder. “Anytime.” She looked around the group, now uncomfortable again.

Ignis bowed his head, thinking. Noctis had a beard? Longer hair? Thank the gods Cindy hadn’t indicated that it reached past his shoulders. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. He sipped the whiskey. He didn’t drink often, but Cid’s whiskey was damn good.

Gladio cursed himself for not thinking of Ignis. Ignis still didn’t feel like one of them. He orbited them, watching without seeing. There was still something weird about Ignis that he couldn’t place.

“Why don’t ya’ll give the four of them some time?” she said, looking hard at Cor and Iris. 

Cor opened his mouth to protest.

“That’d be great,” Noctis said, nodding slightly at Cindy. She smiled at him.

“Why don’t we go into Takka’s?” Prompto asked. “It’ll be warmer.”

“Good plan,” Gladio said, standing up. Ignis stood up and walked towards Takka’s. He could feel Cor’s eyes on his back, and part of him wanted to spin around and pin Cor against the caravan.

Part of him wanted to prove to Cor that whatever the Marshal was thinking, Ignis could be far, far worse.

He took a deep breath as he walked into Takka’s. He could tell the light changed. He walked over behind the counter, deciding to whip something up. 

Noctis was probably hungry.

Ignis paused. Oh gods, he was back. He still didn’t know what to do. He wanted to run, to hide.

Noct assured Cor, Aranea, Iris, and Talcott that they could come into Takka’s but they had to sit at a different booth and let him talk to Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis alone. Cor didn’t look happy about it, but Iris made him agree.

Noctis walked into Takka’s. Gladio and Prompto were sitting side by side in one of the booths, and Ignis was behind the counter. Noct nodded at Gladio and Prompto and leaned against the counter.

“Making anything good?” he asked.

Ignis froze momentarily. “I’m afraid we don’t have much on hand,” he said quietly, “but I did reheat some stew, if you’d like.”

“That’d be perfect,” Noctis said. He couldn’t seem to stop staring at Ignis. Ignis had faint lines around his mouth. The edge of the scar stood out starkly against his pale skin. They were all so pale, but Noct figured that’s what happened without the sun for ten years.

“Go ahead and take a seat,” Ignis said, “I’ll bring it out.”

Noctis nodded and walked over to Gladio and Prompto, dropping into the seat across from them.

“Gladio, Prompto? Would you like some?” Ignis asked, pouring some into bowls.

“Yes please, for both of us,” Prompto called. Ignis nodded and carefully balanced four bowls of stew, walking over to them.

Noctis was impressed at how easily he navigated. Of course, he didn’t know that Ignis could feel them. Gladio and Prompto both had a bit of Darkness in them, as all humans did. Gladio a bit more than Prompto.

Noctis was…different. Noctis burned with Light. Ignis would be able to find him anywhere, and he had a feeling that he had just figured out how Ardyn had always seemed to be able to track them.

Ignis set the bowls down and walked back to the counter, returning seconds later with spoons.

“All right,” Prompto said as Ignis lowered himself into the booth next to Noctis. Noctis glanced at him, glad to finally have Ignis so close. 

Ignis was tense. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be this close to Noct.

He pulled off his gloves and dipped the spoon into the stew. He took a bite, carefully ignoring the others.

Noctis dug in. “Oh gods, that’s good.”

“I imagine chocobo turds would taste good after not eating for ten years,” Gladio said. Prompto burst out laughing. Noct made a face. Ignis stayed quiet, eating steadily. He heard the door open and the others walk in. He was good at recognizing footsteps.

“That’s disgusting, Gladio,” Noct said with a laugh, shoveling more stew into his mouth.

Prompto fumbled with the spoon for a moment, before cursing and setting it down. “Guess I’ll take my gloves off. My fingers are still cold though.” He started to pull his gloves off.

“Normal state of affairs,” Gladio said, taking a drink, his hands still gloved.

Noctis hummed and took another bite, his eyes catching on a glint on Prompto’s left hand. He dropped his spoon and his hand shot out, capturing Prompto’s.

“You’re married?” Noctis asked in shock, staring at the ring.

Ignis froze. Married? Prompto was married? No. That wasn’t right. Prompto and Gladio were in a relationship, he knew that. He heard them on hunts. Prompto had never said anything about being married. 

Surely they would’ve told him?

Gladio saw Ignis’ face shut down, and he swallowed. Oh shit.

“Hehe…” Prompto said, “yeah, I’m married.”

Noct’s eyes darted to Prompto’s face. He didn’t notice Ignis’ hands fall into his lap, his nails digging into his opposite wrists, biting into the flesh. Crescents filled with blood. Ignis didn’t move.

“To?” Noctis asked.

Gladio dropped his eyes from Ignis’ face and pulled his left glove off, baring his own ring. “To me.”

Noctis felt Ignis’ leg jerk under the table, but he couldn’t stop looking between Gladio and Prompto.

Ignis’ ears were ringing.

“You’re married to each other?” Noctis asked in surprise.

Ignis took a deep breath. Maybe it was a new thing. Maybe they had just gotten married since their last trip here.

“Yeah,” Prompto said, blushing faintly. 

Noctis sat back. He was vaguely aware of how tense Ignis was next to him. “For how long?”

Gladio glanced at Ignis again. The blind man hadn’t moved. His face looked like it was carved from marble. Gladio felt that no matter what he said, he had just set their relationship back with Ignis.

They should’ve told him.

“Seven years,” Gladio said softly.

Ignis’ hands clenched over his wrists. He felt blood smear under his fingertips. Seven _years_? They had been married for seven years?

Gods, why hadn’t they told him? They had been cordial to one another at the very least, and Ignis had felt like they were making strides towards tentative friendship again.

Why hadn’t they told him?

Ardyn’s voice ran through his head.

_”You might run back to them, Ignis, but you will never be a part of them again!”_

Ignis bit back a cry. Ardyn had been right. Of course Ardyn had been right. How could Ignis have thought that they would ever accept him again? He was nothing but a monster, and he was starting to think that hiding that side of him had been a mistake.

Gods, what an idiot he’d been.

Ignis stood up stiffly. “Excuse me,” he said, barely moving his lips.

Noctis looked up at him. Ignis looked…pissed, enraged. The closest Noct could ever remember seeing Ignis like that before was in Cartanica.

Wait…had Gladio and Prompto not told Ignis? He frowned, and his eyes landed on Ignis’ wrist.

“Ignis, you’re bleeding!” Noctis said, reaching out. Prompto and Gladio traded distressed looks. Cindy walked in, frowning. Cor looked between Ignis and Noctis, his eyes hard. The others looked worried.

“I assure you, your majesty, I will be fine,” Ignis said, his fists clenched, blood running over his wrists.

“I can heal it,” Noctis said, his hand wrapping around Ignis’ wrist.

Noctis didn’t realize that he’d gotten a small cut on his palm in the fighting at Galdin Quay. It had quickly stopped bleeding, and Noctis hadn’t thought anything of it. It was still an open cut, however.

Some of Ignis’ blood seeped into the cut.

Ignis cried out, falling to his knees. Noctis fell out of the booth, landing in heap next to Ignis, hand still clasped around Ignis’ wrist.

The bond seared back into existence between them, magic cradling them and whiping around them.

Noctis was suddenly drowning in sensations. Grief, anger, Gladio’s voice saying goodbye, Cindy teaching him to fix a car, a hand on his hip, Ardyn’s voice, lips against his, his back being torn open by something terrible, a man shifting form under his hand, Ardyn’s voice, rape, the feel of flesh parting beneath a blade, blood across his face, Ardyn’s hands on him, people screaming, begging for mercy.

And overlaying all of it was a bone deep, soul searing, loneliness.

Ignis wrenched himself free of Noctis’ grip, scrambling backwards along the floor. His back slammed into another booth. Noctis sat on the ground, staring at Ignis in horror. Tears rolled unchecked down his face, streaking the dirt from earlier.

Ignis panted, shaking. He could feel the bond between them, and he was terrified. He knew that Noctis had felt…something…when the bond snapped back into place. 

Oh gods, what if he knew?

“Oh, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, reaching out to him, “how did you survive?”

With a cry, Ignis lurched to his feet and bolted out the door. Noctis sat there, staring after him. He couldn’t shake that feeling of loneliness. Ignis had lived like that for ten _years_? 

Cindy followed Ignis out the door.

Noctis dropped his hand, staring out the door. He shook. He couldn’t make heads or tails of the sensations he had felt. He figured they were things Ignis had gone through…but why did Ardyn feature so prominently?

“Noct?” Gladio whispered.

Noctis closed his eyes, trying to sort through the sensations. The loneliness pressed down on him, smothering him, bringing more tears to his eyes.

Gladio knelt in front of him, shaking him by the shoulders. “Noctis, what happened?”

Noct’s eyes flew open. Gladio sat back, his heart sinking. Noct’s eyes glowed faintly red.

“What in the fuck happened to Ignis?” Noctis snarled, “and where the hell were all of you?” 

FFXV

“Ignis!” Cindy called, running after him. He stopped, panting. She slid to a stop in front of him.

“What happened?” she asked. He looked completely panicked.

“The bond, he knows, he knows, oh gods, he knows.”

Cindy put her hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “Deep breath, sugar, calm down.”

Ignis took a shuddering breath. 

“Tell me,” Cindy said. 

“The bond between us came back, and…and he knows, he knows what I’ve done. The horrible, terrible, beautiful things I’ve done.”

Cindy thought that was a little creepy, but she overlooked it for the moment. “He didn’t seem horrified, Ignis. He was crying.”

Ignis shook his head, strands of hair falling over his visor. “I never should’ve come back,” he said, his voice strained. Cindy looked at him in horror.

“He was right,” Ignis muttered, almost to himself, “I could come back but I would never be part of them again. Alone, forever, just like him…oh gods.” Ignis’ shoulders shook.

“Now just wait a damn minute,” Cindy said, holding both of his shoulders now. “You’re not alone, no matter what you think. You’ve waited ten damn years for the prince, the king, to come back. Don’t run away now, Ignis.”

Ignis stood still. She could feel him trembling. “I don’t know what happened to you during those four years, but you got away. You came back, and gods know you’ve helped out here. Give the king a chance. He did just get here.”

Ignis nodded slowly. Cindy squeezed his shoulders.

“I wish he hadn’t,” Ignis said suddenly.

“What? Why?”

“He…he has to die, Cindy,” Ignis said, his voice cracking. “For the dawn to return, the Chosen King must sacrifice himself.”

“Oh…oh, Ignis, I’m so sorry,” Cindy whispered. “How long have you known?”

“Since not long after Altissia,” Ignis said. He shook slightly. He had tried not to think about Noctis dying since he had left Insomnia, but with the king suddenly back, he couldn’t not think about his death.

Cindy hugged him tightly. Ignis gasped, and Cindy stepped back, looking up at his face.

“Why don’t you go to your room, and give me a chance to talk to Noctis?”

“Okay,” Ignis said softly. “Okay. Thank you…”

“Of course, now go.”

Ignis turned and walked slowly to the garage, disappearing inside. Cindy took a deep breath and turned back to Takka’s. She walked closer, and couldn’t help the grin that suddenly broke out on her face.

Sounded like Noctis was letting them have it.

FFXV

“You’ve got to understand,” Cor started.

“Understand?” Noctis yelled. He had stood up, and he was facing the others. “Understand that you left him? What do I need to understand?”

“Ignis wasn’t right after you left,” Gladio said, “he just wasn’t there. There was nothing we could do!”

“Did you even try?” Noctis snapped, spinning away from him. Gods, everything had gone tits up in a hurry. 

He could feel Ignis in the bond, distressed, terrified, horrified.

“Ignis disappeared for four years,” Cor said, his eyes hard. Noctis turned back to face him. “We came back to try to fix things after three years, and yes, we waited too long, but he was gone when we got here. He went to Insomnia.”

Noctis frowned slightly, still trying to sort out everything he had received from Ignis when the bond came back. He rubbed his arms.

“You have no idea what Ignis went through,” Noctis said, his voice even. “When the bond came back-“

Cor leapt to his feet. “The bond between you is back?”

Noctis stared at him. “Yes. It came back when our blood mixed. Why?”

Cor frowned. He really didn’t know how magical bonds truly worked. Gladio had tried to explain what he had felt, but he hadn’t been bonded to Noctis very long and couldn’t expand much on the general knowledge.

Cor was deeply uneasy with the fact that Ignis was bonded to the king again. He still believed that Ignis and Skaeling were the same being. Reports of Skaeling had stopped after Ignis had left Insomnia.

“Never mind,” Cor said, sitting slowly back down.

“Noct, we fucked up, we know that, but you don’t know what it was like,” Prompto said.

“We could barely care for ourselves,” Gladio said, “let alone a crazed blind man.”

“Crazed? Crazed?” Noctis snarled, turning on Gladio. “He wasn’t crazed, he was broken, because the bond with me had broken. He needed support! Not to be left behind by the only people he had left! Gods damn it all, Gladio, and you couldn’t even tell him you were fucking married for seven years?”

Gladio and Prompto both flinched. “It never came up…” Gladio whispered.

“Never-Ignis was your friend, once! I thought friends told each other when they did shit like get married!”

“And maybe they would’ve told him if Ignis had told us what he’d been up to those four years in Insomnia,” Cor snapped in return.

Cindy laughed from the door. “Ya know what I think?” she asked, walking in. “I think you’re still butt hurt from the time when Ignis kicked your ass in front of everyone, Marshal.”

Cor’s lip raised. Noctis arched his eyebrow. There was a story there. 

Cindy ignored everyone else and looked at Noctis. “Come take a walk with me.”

He nodded and walked by the others. He needed to cool off before talking to them. They had abandoned Ignis. Oh gods, poor Ignis.

He and Cindy walked in silence for a few minutes, slowly walking the perimeter of Hammerhead. Cindy stopped him. Noctis watched her.

“Ignis is a different man than he was when you left,” Cindy said softly, staring hard at Noctis. “Right after they returned from Gralea, Ignis was…gone. He just wasn’t there. He ate when I made him, slept when I told him to. He breathed, he existed…but he was gone.”

Noctis nodded slowly. 

Cindy continued. “Gladio and Prompto left after two weeks or so. Prompto was having a hard time, but I thought they would at least ask after Ignis. They never did, even though I sent weekly updates to Gladio. On your birthday that first year, well, an idiot hunter told Ignis what day it was. He lost it. He hadn’t spoken a word the entire time he had been here, and he just snapped.

“He passed out, and the next day, he got the idea in his head to die. He nearly killed the hunter who told him the day, and he disappeared into the desert. I went after him, and he talked to me. I brought him back, taught him how to fix cars.” Cindy wouldn’t tell him about how Ignis had drank the Darkness from that daemon that had attacked them in the haven. It wasn’t her place, she thought. Ignis would have to come clean about that on his own.

Noctis smiled. “He can fix cars?”

Cindy nodded. “He’s damn good at it, too. He seemed…better, after that. Not entirely well, but better. Three years after, still no word from the others, he started to slip again. He…he wasn’t doing well. I don’t know what happened. He left, told me he was going to Insomnia.”

Cindy turned her head, staring out into the darkness. “It wasn’t long after that the others decided to start caring. They showed up, we fought. Ignis was still gone. For four years, Ignis was gone. The others finally wrote him off as being dead.”

Noctis rubbed his arms. Damn, it was cold, and Cindy’s story wasn’t helping.

“Two years ago, he came back. On the back of a daemon like some avenging devil. He had long hair, nice clothes, and was riding a daemon. Everyone was here, and Gladio and Prompto freaked. Ignis…Ignis has some really bad scars. Really bad. I’ve never seen anything like them before. Cor reached out to touch the scars, and Ignis had the Marshal on the ground with a dagger at his throat before anyone could blink.”

Noctis looked surprised. Cindy nodded.

“Yeah, surprised Cor too,” she said dryly. “Anywho, Gladio and Prompto freaked out, because he had summoned his dagger from you, and they still thought you were dead.”

“And Ignis didn’t?”

“Ignis figured it out on your birthday that first year, summoned a dagger when we were attacked by daemons on the way back to Hammerhead. Gladio and Prompto never called, so we never told them.”

Noctis nodded. 

“So, Cor kept buggin’ Ignis about what he had done during those four years, and Ignis challenged him to a duel. ‘Course, everyone thought Cor would easily win, but he couldn’t touch Ignis. Ignis avoided every attack from Cor, it was like he was toying with the Marshal, and finally grew bored and just won.

“Since then, Gladio and Prompto have been coming out once a month and they go hunting together. Ignis hunts on his own, fixes cars. He doesn’t really like crowds. He’s harder, Noctis, darker.”

“And Gladio and Prompto never told him they were married?”

Cindy’s eyes widened. “Huh. That what set him off tonight?”

Noctis nodded.

“No, they never did. I didn’t know either.”

“Seven years,” Noctis said, crossing his arms. “Cindy, I don’t understand how they could just leave Ignis behind…”

“I don’t get it either,” Cindy said, “I never have. I try to be a friend to Ignis, but it’s been hard since he came back. He’s almost afraid of being touched.”

“He’s so lonely…” Noctis said, his eyes distant. “I’ve never felt anything like it. When the bond came back…gods, he was so lonely. I don’t…I don’t know how he survived it.”

“He’s in his room in the garage. Papa’s old office. He was going to run away, ya know?”

Noct’s eyes snapped to hers. “What?”

“He’s terrified of what you felt. I don’t know what he did during those four years, but I know it was bad. He said he’s done terrible things, Noctis, terrible, horrid things, and he’s afraid of what you’ll do, what you’ll think.”

Noctis turned slightly towards the garage. “I need to talk to him…I…I promised I wouldn’t leave him, and…oh gods…”

Cindy put her hand on his arm. “He told me,” she said softly, “that to bring back the dawn you have to die.”

Noctis’ eyes flew to her face. “He knows?”

She nodded. “He said he’s known since just after Altissia.”

Noctis blinked. Had Ignis known the entire time they were in Gralea? Was the way Ignis had held him because he knew that his time with Noct was short?

“Do the others know?”

“I don’t know,” Cindy said, “but I doubt it. They hardly talked, and Ignis didn’t like talking about you with anyone.”

Noctis took a shuddering breath. Cor probably knew; Regis had probably told him. But hopefully Gladio and Prompto and the others still didn’t know. He would tell them himself. He frowned, suddenly wondering if the fact that Gladio and Prompto were married would change his plans for the end.

He shook his head. He’d have to think about it later.

Cindy smiled sadly at him. “Go to Ignis, Noctis, and be gentle with him.”

Noctis reached out and squeezed Cindy’s hand. “Thank you, Cindy, for being there for Ignis when no one else was.”

Cindy nodded, squeezing back. “Yer welcome, now git.”

He laughed softly, and walked towards the garage. His heart pounded in his chest the closer he got.

What had happened to Ignis? What was Ignis like now? How had he beaten Cor?

And why, _why_ had Ardyn featured so prominently in those sensations he had gotten from Ignis?

Ardyn’s last words to him as he was being sucked into the Crystal floated back into his mind.

_”I shall keep your friends company until you are ready…especially Ignis. I wouldn’t want him to get lonely.”_

Noctis froze midstride. Had Ignis gone to Insomnia to be with Ardyn? Had Ignis turned to Ardyn because everyone else had abandoned him?

He took a deep breath. He would not go in accusing Ignis of anything. He would wait for Ignis to tell him in his own words.

He stepped into the garage and walked towards the old corner office. The door was open, and a low light was shining from the room.

Noctis paused at the threshold, just staring for a moment.

Ignis sat on the bed, his visor on the small desk across from him. His head was cradled in his hands, strands of hair falling over his forehead. He had taken his boots off, but otherwise had not changed.

Noctis thought his shoulders were shaking slightly. He could feel Ignis through the bond, and something felt weird about the bond. 

Noctis shook his head. He couldn’t think of any of that now. The only thing that mattered was the sad, lonely, broken man before him.

Noctis stepped into the room, and shut the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know if ya'll hate my face now.


	33. Remember How to be Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis tries to remind Ignis that he can be loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter all Ignoct. Soft, sweet, slow, Ignoct. With angst. Lotsa angst.  
> Enjoy this chapter, friends, because my plan after this is to tear your hearts out and set them on my mantle. I feel like if I say "shit gets dark" it'll be real redundant by now. Ardyn's not done playing, and we still have to face Gladio and the others.  
> Drama!
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine

Now- Remember how to be loved

Noctis leaned against the door, watching Ignis. Ignis hadn’t moved since Noctis had shut the door, but Noct knew Ignis knew he was there.

He still thought Ignis was the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that the others had just up and left Ignis. He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with the man before him. 

He really wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of Ardyn.

“I like your hair,” Noctis said finally.

Ignis snorted into his hands, finally lifting his head and sighing. “You’ll have to thank Cindy for it. She chose the style.”

Noctis smiled wryly. “She’s got good taste.”

“Indeed she does,” Ignis said softly.

They were silent for a moment. Noctis glanced around the old office. A small bed took up most of the space, with a tiny desk cluttered with stuff shoved into the corner. There was a small refrigerator under the desk, and a trash can by the door. A trunk sat at the foot of the bed. Old posters that Noct suspected Cid had put up were plastered on the wall. 

“Can I sit?” Noct asked. There was an old office chair tucked under the desk.

Ignis nodded minutely. Noctis pulled out the old chair and sat carefully. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Ignis swallowed, still fighting the urge to run.

They sat in silence, neither one of them sure of their reception. Noctis sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Finally sitting still without having to talk to anyone, he realized his clothes were tight. Cindy had been right, he had muscled up.

Ignis was rocking back and forth, almost imperceptibly. 

Noctis wanted to touch him so badly, but he was afraid that Ignis would run again.

“I’m so sorry,” Noctis finally whispered, staring at his hands.

Ignis froze. Noctis heard him swallow and he glanced up. Ignis looked wary.

“For what? You, of all people, have nothing to apologize for,” Ignis said. 

“I left you,” Noctis said, “I promised not to leave you and I did, and I’m so sorry for that. I was only the first person to abandon you.”

Ignis sucked in a startled breath. Noctis thought he had abandoned him? 

“It wasn’t like you had a choice,” Ignis said, his voice hoarse. “The others…they made their choice.”

“Ignis…”

“The gods decreed that you would be absorbed by the Crystal, just as the gods have orchestrated this entire charade,” Ignis sounded incredibly bitter.

Noctis reached out a hand. It hovered before Ignis. Gods, Noctis wanted to touch him, to prove to himself that Ignis was real.

Ignis was torn between wanted to touch Noctis to prove he was real, and wanting to run, disappear into the night.

“May I touch you?” Noctis asked a few minutes later, his hand still hovering above Ignis’ knee.

Ignis nodded jerkily, and still barely managed not to jump when Noct’s hand landed softly on his knee.

Noctis just rested his hand on Ignis’ knee. Ignis was practically quivering under his hand. What had happened to make Ignis so very wary of human contact?

Noctis stroked Ignis’ knee.

Ignis bit back a whimper. It had been so long since someone had touched him with something more than a glancing touch. He missed it, he had craved it.

And now it was Noctis.

Part of him wanted to throw himself at Noctis, rub himself over the king’s body, wrap himself in human contact.

Another part of him wanted to forcibly take that contact from Noctis; pin him down, do things to him.

He didn’t move. He simply sat there.

Noctis could hear Ignis’ breathing increase. Noctis reached out with his other hand, gently brushing his fingers over Ignis’ hand.

Ignis gasped, nearly jerking his hand back. He froze, Noct’s fingers grazing the back of his hand, fingers running over old bite scars on Ignis’ knuckles.

He hadn’t put his gloves back on.

Noctis watched as Ignis seemed to war with himself. He kept stroking Ignis’ hand, and finally, Ignis seemed to relax ever so slowly.

Noct gently turned Ignis’ hand over, running his fingers over the ragged scars across his palm. Noctis was surprised at the extent of the scaring across Ignis’ palm.

“What happened?” Noct asked, tracing the silver scars.

Ignis frowned, trying to remember. “I…I think they’re from the Crystal?” Ignis vaguely remembered attacking the Crystal in Gralea. He didn’t remember much from that time, to be perfectly honest.

Noctis kept stroking the scars, finally taking both of Ignis’ hands in his. 

Ignis quivered before him, his hands loosely held in Noct’s. He wondered what the planes of Noctis’ face felt like, what the beard would feel like under his fingers.

No. He didn’t deserve to touch Noctis, not after what he had done.

He wanted to touch him.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked, squeezing his hands. He could feel Ignis’ conflict through the bond. “Ignis, it’s okay.”

Ignis shook his head. Noctis scooted the chair closer to Ignis, his knees touching Ignis’. Ignis started slightly and Noctis frowned. Ignis really wasn’t used to being touched.

It made Noctis indescribably sad. He remembered the crushing loneliness, and realized with a start he could still feel it.

“Ignis?” Noctis whispered again. Ignis whimpered, his eye closed.

“May I touch you?” Ignis gasped suddenly, his hands convulsing in Noctis’.

“Of course, Ignis, you never need to ask.”

Ignis slowly untangled his hand from Noct’s and lifted it. Noctis thought he saw a faint tremble in his hand. Noctis didn’t move as Ignis’ hand hovered just above his face.

Ignis was terrified. He was certain that the moment he touched Noctis, the king would disappear. It would be a cruel trick. He swallowed, his fingers barely grazing Noct’s chin.

His fingers landed on Noct’s cheek. He could feel wiry, yet soft, hair under his fingers. Noctis really did have a beard. He ran his hand gently over Noct’s face, his nose, his brow, over his eyebrows, through his hair, back down over his nose, grazing his lips.

Noctis pressed a soft kiss against Ignis’ finger. Ignis froze, his eye wide, fingers still resting on Noct’s lips, breathing suddenly harsh in the quiet office.

Noctis watched his face carefully and gently kissed the pad of Ignis’ finger again.

His heart nearly broke at the look that crossed Ignis’ face. Ignis looked so uncertain of Noctis’ feelings. Couldn’t he feel him through the bond? 

Noctis still loved him.

Ignis was confused. He didn’t know what to do. The soft press of Noct’s lips on his fingers sent lightning through his body.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked, his mouth moving against Ignis’ fingers. 

Ignis swallowed, his fingers still resting on Noct’s lips. “Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Ignis looked shocked. How could Noctis want to kiss him after what he had felt when the bond snapped back into place?

“Please?” Noctis asked, lifting his hand and brushing his fingers over Ignis’ cheek.

“I…I, yes…” Ignis whispered. Gods, he wanted it so badly. His heart thundered in his chest.

Noctis stood up slowly, Ignis’ hand falling from his face. Noctis cupped Ignis’ face in his hands, gently running his thumbs over his cheeks.

Gods, Ignis looked terrified.

Noctis smiled sadly, knowing Ignis couldn’t see it. He leaned over Ignis, still sitting perfectly still on the bed. His breath ghosted over Ignis’ lips.

He pressed his lips gently against Ignis’, barely any pressure. He was giving Ignis an out if he wanted it. 

Ignis’ body was taught. His mind ran through so many scenarios; Noctis kissing him then beating him, raping him, tying him up, destroying-

No.

Noctis was not Ardyn. Ardyn would do those things. Noctis wouldn’t.

Ignis sighed against Noct’s lips, his mouth parting slightly. Noctis ran his tongue gently along Ignis’ lower lip. Ignis’ mouth fell open a little more, his hand slowly coming up to grasp at Noct’s waist.

Noctis thought Ignis tasted a little strange, like a faint, thick wine.

Ignis thought Noctis tasted like sunshine and Light. He had never tasted anything like it.

Ignis moaned softly. Gods, it had been so long. The kiss was so gentle, so soft.

Nothing like the kisses he’d shared with Ardyn.

Noctis deepened the kiss, hooking his tongue around Ignis’. Noctis kept stroking Ignis’ cheeks with his thumbs.

Ignis sighed again. He had missed this man.

Noctis pulled back slightly, panting. He pressed his thumb against Ignis’ lips, and Ignis kissed it.

“Noctis?” Ignis said after a moment.

Noctis smiled. “Yeah, Iggy?”

“You smell terrible.”

Noctis burst out laughing. He sat on the bed next to Ignis, holding Ignis’ hand, still chuckling.

“Yeah, well, it has been ten years since I’ve taken a shower.”

Ignis turned his head slightly. “Cindy has a shower in her apartment upstairs. There’re public ones on the premises, but I doubt she’ll begrudge you the use of hers.”

Noctis sighed. A shower did sound wonderful, but…

“Are you still going to be here when I’m done?” Noctis asked softly, watching Ignis intently.

Ignis tensed slightly, and took a deep breath. “Yes.”

“I have nothing to change into except these stinky old clothes,” Noctis said, still watching Ignis.

Ignis stood up and walked to the foot of the bed, kneeling and opening the trunk. He pulled out another Hammerhead shirt and a pair of sweatpants and handed them to Noctis.

Noctis held them in his hands, running his fingers over the Hammerhead logo.

“Wait for me?” Noctis asked.

Ignis sat down next to him again, his stone grey eye locked straight ahead. 

“I have waited ten years, Noctis, an hour won’t make a difference either way.”

Noctis leaned forward and pressed his lips hard against Ignis’ again. Ignis nearly jerked away in shock, but just managed to stop himself.

“You could come with me?” Noctis said against his mouth.

Ignis shook his head. “There’s not enough room in the shower. And we do ration water.”

“Damn,” Noctis muttered, “I’ll be quick.”

“Please, be clean.”

Noctis grinned. It felt so normal for Ignis to berate him for not taking a shower. It felt like something that would’ve happened before Altissia, before the long night.

Noctis stood up. “Up the stairs?”

Ignis nodded. “Up the stairs, through the door, and third door on the right.”

“Be right back.”

Ignis nodded. He listened as the door opened and closed again, and he was left alone in his room. He shuddered, covering his mouth with a cry.

He couldn’t stop comparing that kiss to the kisses he traded with Ardyn.

Gods, how could he tell Noctis that he had been with Ardyn for four years?

How could he tell Noctis that he was murderer?

How could he tell Noctis he was a monster?

He lowered his head and wept.

FFXV

Noctis stood under the stream of water. Gods, it felt good to get that dirt and blood and sweat off him. He scrubbed quickly, remembering what Ignis had said about rationing water.

He touched his lips, smiling slightly. 

He wasn’t going to think about Gladio and others at the moment. He didn’t want to deal with them just yet.

He rinsed his hair one last time and turned the water off, reaching for a towel. He quickly dried himself off and pulled the Hammerhead shirt over his head. It fit him pretty well, better than the old stuff he had been wearing. 

He didn’t bother putting his dirty boxers back on and just pulled the sweatpants on. They were way too long for him, and he rolled up the legs a bit so he didn’t fall on his face. He shoved his dirty clothes in a bag and left the bathroom, hurrying back down the stairs.

He dropped the bag of dirty clothes outside the door to Ignis’ small room and knocked gently on the door before pushing it open. 

Ignis was still sitting on the bed, weeping into his hands.

Noctis shut the door behind him and clicked the lock. He didn’t want to risk anyone else walking in.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked, sitting gently on the bed, resting his hand on Ignis’ shoulder.

Ignis leaned away from him. “You shouldn’t touch me,” he said harshly, scooting away from Noctis and curling against the headboard.

“Why?” Noctis asked, wondering what had brought this sudden change on.

“I’m a bad man, majesty,” Ignis said, “I’ve done terrible things, and I liked it. You should keep your distance.”

Noctis stared at him. “I don’t believe that,” Noctis said, reaching out and cupping Ignis’ cheek.

“You…you have no idea,” Ignis snarled, “you have no idea what I’ve done, _who_ I’ve done.” Ignis knew it would hurt him, but wouldn’t it be better for Noctis to walk away now then hope?

“Ardyn,” Noctis said softly. 

Ignis went completely still, his face going white.

Oh, shit.

“You went to Ardyn,” Noctis said again, still stroking Ignis’ cheek. “I…felt it when the bond came back.”

Ignis didn’t move.

“I got…sensations from you. Anger, grief, loneliness. I heard Ardyn’s voice…felt his lips, and…other parts of him.”

Ignis flinched, trying to move away from Noctis. Noctis kept his hand pressed against Ignis’ cheek.

Ignis wondered what else Noctis had felt. Did he know about the murders? About turning people into daemons?

“What did he do to you, Ignis?”

Ignis bared his teeth slightly. “I went to him willingly, majesty.”

“Bullshit,” Noctis said. Ignis started. “You’d had a soul bond torn in half, and it should’ve killed you. You went to him because he twisted you, made you believe you needed him.”

“I did need him,” Ignis said. “I craved him.”

I still do, Ignis thought desperately. 

“No matter the reason, I am still not a good man,” Ignis said, “I still did horrible things…such dark things…”

Noctis thought that Ignis’ voice almost took on a wistful quality. That was kind of worrying, but Noctis couldn’t worry about that in the moment. 

“Ignis, the man I love is still there, I know he is.”

“How?” Ignis practically spat. “How do you know? You have no idea what I’ve done.”

“Because the bond wouldn’t have come back if you truly belonged to Ardyn, no matter what you’ve done. You know the magic only works if both parties are willing.”

Ignis didn’t want to hear that. Ignis didn’t want to hear that he had been willing to be bonded to Ardyn. 

“I still love you, Ignis.”

“You shouldn’t…”

“You might be a bad man, Ignis, but you’re still Ignis. My Ignis. Ardyn can’t have you,” Noctis said, capturing Ignis’ lips with his.

Ignis whimpered against his mouth, pulling back.

“Ignis…”

“I’m afraid,” Ignis said suddenly.

Noctis frowned. “Of what?”

“That I will hurt you.”

Noctis tilted his head. “What do you mean?” he asked, stroking Ignis’ arm. Ignis unconsciously leaned into the touch.

“Ardyn…it was not gentle,” Ignis said finally.

“What wasn’t?”

“Everything,” Ignis whispered. 

“So, no gentle sex?” Noctis asked, hating himself for asking.

Ignis snorted. “We fucked each other. Hate fucking, most of the time. And it wasn’t always consensual. We hurt each other, mostly him hurting me. But sometimes…sometimes I got to hurt him…twist the blade into his flesh…try to make him scream…”

Noctis stared at Ignis in horror. He almost sounded like he had enjoyed hurting Ardyn. Ignis’ hands shook. He held them out, presenting his palms to Noctis.

“These scars are the least of them,” Ignis said.

“What you did with Ardyn…why are you afraid right now?”

Ignis swallowed. “Because I want you, Noctis, I want you, but I am terrified that I will lose myself in the moment and forget…I could do things to Ardyn that would kill anyone else…”

Noctis sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly enraged at Ardyn. It wasn’t fair. Ardyn had gotten to have Ignis sexually far more than he ever had. Ardyn had twisted him, turned the gentle, kind man into something dark, something violent, someone who reveled in the pain of others.

“Then let me remind you what it means to be loved,” Noctis whispered, leaning forward and kissing Ignis again.

Noct pressed gentle kisses against Ignis’ jaw, running his hands down Ignis’ arms. Ignis shivered in his arms.

Ignis was afraid that Noctis would turn away once he saw the scars. The physical ones were the least of the scars that plagued Ignis.

Noctis hooked his fingers on the bottom edge of Ignis’ shirt. “Show me, Ignis. Don’t be afraid.”

Ignis gently pushed Noctis back. “They are…hideous, majesty.”

“Show me,” Noctis whispered again.

Ignis sighed and fingered the edge of his shirt. He pulled it up and tossed it aside, sitting tense against the headboard.

Noctis started. Ignis had always had a nice, well-muscled chest, but he had more muscles than Noctis remembered. His eyes were drawn to a red scar on his stomach, in the shape of a Sylleblossom.

Noctis touched it. Ignis gasped. 

“This is where you stabbed yourself,” Noctis said, the memories of that horrible day flashing through his head.

Ignis shivered as Noct’s fingers grazed the old, self-inflicted scars that crossed his stomach. Noct looked at Ignis’ shoulder, and his heart dropped.

That old bite scar, from the first time they had made love, was gone; covered by thick ropy scars that folded over his shoulders like fingers reaching down.

His fingers barely touched Ignis’ nipples as he moved his hand up to touch the edge of the scars. Ignis bit back a groan.

“Roll over, please,” Noctis said. He needed to see Ignis’ back. Ignis swallowed and scooted away from the headboard. He hesitantly lay down on his back, Noct’s hand resting on his stomach. “Please, Ignis.”

Ignis took a deep breath and rolled over. His shoulders were tense.

Noctis stared in horror. Ignis’ entire back was covered in thick scars, running from over his shoulders and some disappearing down under the waistband of his pants. Noctis couldn’t see any clear skin.

Noctis ran his fingers over the ridges on Ignis’ back. “Gods, Ignis, what did he do to you?”

Ignis closed his eye, shuddering under Noct’s hand. Noct’s fingers moved over his back, the sensation oddly muted through so much scar tissue. 

“Ignis,” Noctis whispered, leaning over him and pressing his lips against his shoulder. He ran his tongue over the scar. It felt weird, smooth and rough at the same time. Ignis was tense, his muscles quivering under Noct’s touch.

“Ignis, talk to me,” Noctis said, sitting up. He kept running his hand gently over the scars. Gods, but they were truly awful. He didn’t know how Ignis had survived the abuse that had led to these.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Ignis said, barely moving his mouth.

Noctis didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t sure what he wanted Ignis to say.

“Say you love me,” Noctis said finally.

“I never stopped loving you,” Ignis growled. “I tried to forget, to shove you aside, but you kept coming back. Ardyn tried to fuck you out of me, and he failed.”

Noctis leaned over again and kissed the back of Ignis’ neck. “Show me everything, please.”

Ignis lifted his hips and shoved the pants down with one hand, tossing them aside. He was still on his stomach, and Noctis could see the full extent of the scars that had disappeared into the waistband. 

Ignis had harsh lines tracing down over his ass and down his thighs. Noctis sat back, staring. It almost looked like wings made of scar tissue, running from the back of his knees to his shoulders.

Ignis gasped when Noct’s hands ran over the scars on his ass, gently stroking the unmarred skin there. Noctis could see the faint remains of the self-inflicted scars from before.

“Roll over,” Noctis said after a moment.

Ignis swallowed and rolled over again, baring his front to Noctis. Noctis’ eyes swept over his body. His cock was half-erect, twitching occasionally. His thighs were crossed with old scars.

Noct rested his hand gently on Ignis’ chest, right over his frantically beating heart. The pace of his heartbeat shocked Noctis. His face was completely calm, and his body betrayed no sign that he was pumped full of adrenaline.

Noctis felt another wave of anger at Ardyn. He could imagine Ardyn abusing Ignis, demanding no outward sign of his distress.

Ignis swallowed a whimper. He could feel Noct’s anger surging through the bond. He rolled on his side, curling up and presenting his back to Noctis. It was never good when he felt that much anger from Ardyn. 

It would take time for the scar tissue to start radiating the pain of the incoming beating. Ignis knew that. 

He waited for the first blow.

Noctis frowned, staring at Ignis. It almost looked like Ignis was waiting for him to beat him, to tear into his back with renewed vigor. 

He suddenly realized that Ignis had probably felt his anger and he took a deep breath, eyes blurring with tears when Ignis flinched at his sigh.

“Ignis, it’s me. It’s Noctis. I’m not going to hurt you, I would never hurt you. You’re safe with me, Ignis. Ignis, I’m going to touch your shoulder, but I’m not going to hurt you,” Noctis whispered, reaching out and stroking Ignis’ shoulder.

He heard Ignis’ muffled cry and Noctis wanted to scream. He wanted to curse the gods for taking him away from Ignis, for letting Ignis suffer the way he had.

He kept his hand on Ignis’ shoulder and waited. He would wait as long as it took.

The gods could wait.

FFXV

Ignis wasn’t sure how long he lay there, curled into a tight ball with Noct’s hand gently stroking his shoulder.

Noctis wasn’t going to hurt him.

“Noctis?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“Right here, Ignis,” Noctis said.

Ignis took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it all out, slowly unclenching his body and rolling onto his back. Noct’s hand came to rest on his chest again.

Ignis didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know if there was anything he could say. 

Noctis stroked his chest, fingers caressing the scars riddling his skin.

“Let me love you, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, “let me show you how much I love you.”

Ignis wanted it. Oh gods, did he want it. 

“You won’t hurt me,” Noctis said, hand grazing Ignis’ nipple, “I trust you.”

You shouldn’t, Ignis thought, and I shouldn’t let you do this…but I am a selfish creature.

“Yes,” Ignis finally replied. He wanted Noctis to chase the memories of Ardyn away. He had only been with Noctis twice, and he had no idea how many times he had been with Ardyn. 

Noctis smiled and leaned over, his breath ghosting over Ignis’ lips. They kissed, and they slowly explored each other’s mouths, learning each other like it was their first kiss.

Ignis’ hand slowly came up, running over Noct’s arm. He could feel the muscles playing as Noctis used his arm to support his weight. He plucked at the shirt, wordlessly asking Noctis to remove it.

Noctis sat up and pulled the shirt off, tossing it aside. Ignis’ hands hovered over his arm, feeling the heat of his skin.

“Touch me, Ignis, it’s okay.” It saddened Noctis that Ignis thought he needed permission to touch him. He vowed to himself to touch Ignis at every possible moment; to try to give him some semblance of love and acceptance before the end.

Ignis’ hand sprawled across Noct’s chest.

Noctis was real. 

Ignis’ mind reeled. He half expected to feel Noct’s narrow chest broaden out, faint hair, different scars, broader shoulders. He half expected Noctis to turn into Ardyn.

Noctis leaned into Ignis’ hand, moaning softly. Ignis’ cock was stirring back to life. Noctis ran his hands gently over Ignis’ chest, nails scraping the skin.

Ignis gasped as Noct stroked his thighs. 

“Noctis…” Ignis whispered.

“I’m here,” Noctis said, “I’ve got you.” He carefully took Ignis’ length in his hand, slowly stroking.

Ignis fought not to thrust wantonly into his hand. This was real, this was really happening. 

Noctis was back, and had his hand wrapped around Ignis’ cock.

Ignis was sure this was a dream.

He bit his lip, stifling his moan.

“It’s okay, Ignis,” Noctis said, leaning over and kissing him gently. Ignis reached out and hugged Noct’s chest to his, deepening the kiss.

Noct groaned into his mouth. His own cock was throbbing, tenting the sweatpants. He took one of Ignis’ hands and placed it over his dick.

Ignis froze momentarily, the feel of another man’s cock under his hand shocking. Slowly, he relaxed, massaging the flesh in his grip.

“Gods, Ignis, that feels good,” Noctis muttered against his mouth. He felt Ignis smile. Noctis pulled back slightly and pulled his pants off, throwing them on the floor with the rest of their clothes.

He stretched his naked body out against Ignis’. Ignis moaned, feeling Noct’s cock dig into his thigh.

Noctis pressed soft kisses against Ignis’ jaw, his scar, his temple. “Do you have any lube?”

Ignis shook his head. It wasn’t like he needed it.

“Potions?” Noct asked with a smile, remembering their last time together in Gralea.

Ignis pointed at the desk. Noctis kissed him again and stood up. He opened the top drawer of the desk and saw a few potions in there. He pulled one out and knelt on the bed next to Ignis.

“Ignis, how do you want to do this?” Noctis asked, gently petting his chest.

Ignis blinked. He was being asked? He was never asked. He was just…forced, and he fought. He was still afraid he would forget in the heat of passion and hurt Noctis.

“You lead,” Ignis finally whispered. Noctis could see his apprehension. 

“Okay,” Noct said, gently touching Ignis’ knee and pushing his legs apart. Noct rearranged himself, settling in between Ignis’ thighs. He stroked the blind man’s inner thighs, and Ignis moaned.

Noct opened the potion and dropped some on his palm. He wrapped his hand back around Ignis’ cock, twisting gently, swiping his thumb against his slit. Ignis’ hips rose to meet his hand.

Noctis looked up Ignis’ body. He couldn’t believe the changes that had occurred in the man before him. He wondered at the true extent of the psychological scars that Ardyn had left.

He shook his head. He wouldn’t worry about that right now, not with Ignis’ cock dripping in his hand, hot and heavy against his fingers. 

He lifted his hand and spread more potion on his fingers, running the tip of his finger down the underside of Ignis’ length, over his balls, the soft skin of his perineum, to his tight hole.

Ignis nearly rocketed off the bed when Noctis touched him there. He ended up half sprawled against Noctis, rapid gasps escaping his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis whispered, his finger still pressed against Ignis’ entrance.

Ignis didn’t know how to tell him it was the shock of that finger being covered with _lubricant_ that had surprised him. He and Ardyn never used lube of any kind on each other, unless Ignis’ blood counted. 

Ignis shook his head and lay back down, throwing his arm over his eyes. Noctis ran his finger slowly over Ignis’ hole, spreading potion. Ignis quivered under his touch.

“Is this okay?” Noctis asked. The last thing he wanted was to force himself on Ignis.

Ignis nodded, never moving his arm. 

Noctis pushed his finger in to the first knuckle, closing his eyes at the tight heat. Slowly, he stroked his way deeper, swirling his finger inside Ignis, reveling in the little noises that escaped Ignis’ lips.

He pulled his finger out and coated two fingers in potion. He gently pushed his way back inside Ignis, working his fingers in opposite directions, stretching Ignis’ body.

“You are so beautiful, Ignis,” Noctis said, leaning forward and kissing Ignis’ elbow.

Ignis kept quiet. If he denied everything Noctis was saying, they’d never get anywhere. He would never be able to see himself how Noctis did. Noctis still didn’t know what he had done.

Ignis knew he should tell him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not yet.

Ignis’ hips moved slowly, thrusting himself down on Noct’s fingers.

Noctis nosed Ignis’ arm off his face, pressing a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. “Ready?”

Ignis nodded again, one hand reaching up and threading through Noct’s hair. It was so soft.

Noctis kissed him again and pulled his fingers out of Ignis, wiping them quickly on the corner of the bed. He grabbed the potion again and coated his dick in it. He wiped extra around Ignis’ hole.

He wrapped his hand around himself and lined up the head of his cock at Ignis’ entrance. He pushed, ever so gently, into Ignis’ heat. His body took him willingly, stretching to accommodate Noctis’ girth.

Noctis groaned as he pushed in. He had always been on the receiving end of Ignis, and nothing prepared him for the feel of Ignis tight and hot around him, pulling him deeper until he bottomed out.

Ignis’ hand clenched on Noct’s bicep. It had been so long since he had been filled like this, so long since anyone had touched him.

“Noctis,” he whispered, lifting his hips to meet Noct’s slow thrusts.

“Gods, Ignis, you feel so good,” Noctis said, thrusting deep into Ignis’ heat. Ignis’ cock was trapped between them, precome smearing across their skin as Noctis pressed himself as close to Ignis as he could.

Noctis kept moving slowly, his thrusts controlled and careful. He wrapped Ignis’ leg around his waist and he gasped when Ignis’ hole suddenly tightened around him.

“Right there,” Ignis panted. Noct nodded and rubbed that spot again, the head of his cock massaging Ignis’ prostate. 

Noctis kissed Ignis as they moved together, their bodies falling into familiar, long forgotten rhythms.

Ignis moaned, his cock twitching between them. Noct wrapped his hand around Ignis, his fingers moving in time with his hips.

“Come for me, Ignis,” Noctis whispered.

Ignis whimpered again. Noct was again saddened by how quiet Ignis was during their lovemaking. 

What if he was afraid he would call Ardyn’s name as he came?

Would Ignis ever be able to not compare him to that man?

“Ignis, I love you,” Noctis said, his lips against Ignis’ ears. “I love you, I love you. Never doubt that, Ignis.”

Ignis felt his orgasm building.

Noctis was so slow, so gentle, so loving, that Ignis turned his head and wept as his seed spilled across their chests, Noct’s name a whisper on his mouth.

Noctis kissed his tears away, whispering his name against his skin, thrusting deep into Ignis’ heat.

“Close, Ignis,” Noctis said, kissing Ignis’ lips.

Ignis slowly ran his hand over Noct’s body, reveling in the fact that Noctis was there, inside him, around him, over him.

Noctis cried out as he came, Ignis’ name escaping his lips. 

Ignis groaned as Noct filled him, Noct’s thrusts growing erratic as he emptied himself into Ignis’ heat.

Noctis’ head fell against Ignis’ shoulder, his cock still buried inside Ignis. He kissed the thick ropy scars peeking over Ignis’ shoulder.

Ignis shook, and Noctis held him. Ignis slowly stroked Noct’s hair, trying to believe that Noctis still loved him.

Fooling himself into thinking Noctis would still love him when he knew the truth.

“Ignis,” Noctis murmured, finally slipping free of Ignis’ body. Ignis felt the warm rush of seed run down his thighs. Noctis sat up and found a rag, quickly wiping Ignis and himself down. He tossed the rag to the side, curling back up against Ignis’ body.

“Was that okay?” Noctis asked, running his hand lightly over Ignis’ chest.

Ignis swallowed, his hand resting on Noct’s head. “It was…perfect.”

Noctis smiled, pressing a kiss right over Ignis’ heart.

He suddenly realized they were mirroring the position they had lain in before they had made love that first time. He remembered climbing into the bed next to Ignis in that hotel in Lestallum, resting his head over Ignis’ heart with his arm over his waist. He remembered listening to Ignis’ heartbeat, and taking comfort in the fact that that Ignis had been whole and unharmed. 

Noctis felt a wave of sadness rush over him.

Gods, how he wished they had more time. He wanted to put Ignis back together again, chase all memories of Ardyn and abandonment away. He wanted to hold Ignis in his arms, remind him that the world was not only evil men, that there were people who loved him.

“Noctis?”

“Yes, Ignis?” Noctis asked.

“I love you,” Ignis said softly, “I always have. I always will…no matter what.”

That sounded vaguely ominous. Noctis squeezed him slightly. “And I love you, Ignis. From here until eternity.”

Ignis’ arm tightened around him. He closed his eye and buried his face in Noct’s hair. He smelled faintly of Cindy’s shampoo.

Ignis fought back his tears, strangled down his fear, and tried to sleep.

FFXV

In Insomnia, on the throne, his hand covered with his own seed, Ardyn smiled wickedly.

“Welcome back, Noctis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready to sacrifice your hearts for me a la Temple of Doom? I will reach in and tear them from your chest, much as SE did. Buckle your seatbelts, ya'll, and keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter, please? I'm not sure I'm happy with it.


	34. The Nightmare and the Photo Album

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Noctis and Ignis share a nightmare, and Noct looks at photos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh...so, if ya'll don't like the Ardnis, mind the brackets at the beginning. (##FFXV##) I don't think it's very graphic, but I can't say much without giving much away. Summary of Ardnis will be at the end for those who skip it. I feel like it's kinda important and hard to summarize though...  
> This chapter kind of went a different direction than I expected. The next chapter will be them heading out for the city. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me. Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-

_Gladio and Prompto were dead. Ignis couldn’t remember if he had been the one to kill them, but Noctis was still talking to him, so he figured if he had murdered them, Noctis hadn’t seen it._

_Not that that thought was exactly comforting._

_They were in the city, heading for the throne room._

_Ignis could feel Ardyn waiting._

_Noctis looked around. He couldn’t believe the extent of the damage in the city, in his home._

_He couldn’t believe Gladio and Prompto were gone. It had always been a possibility, but the fact that they had died first…Noctis hadn’t seen it happen. He had been too busy fighting off an attack from daemons and humans alike._

_Ignis had barely said a word since they had died._

_“We’re here,” Noctis said, staring up at the Citadel._

_“Shall we, then?” Ignis said softly. Noctis nodded and jogged up the stairs. Ignis followed the sound of his footsteps._

_They rode the elevator in silence. Noct swallowed hard. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Ignis, resting his head over his chest._

_“Ignis?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Thank you for being here.”_

_“Of course, Noctis,” Ignis whispered, his arms tightening around Noct. Noct stood briefly on his toes and pressed his lips against Ignis’._

_Ignis returned the kiss slowly._

_Noctis slowly pulled back as the door opened. He took a deep breath and turned and walked out, followed closely by Ignis._

_It was time to end this._

_They walked into the throne room. Noctis’ eyes narrowed. Ardyn was sitting on the throne, a sardonic smile on his face._

_“Welcome, your majesty,” Ardyn sneered, opening his arms, “you certainly took your time.”_

_“Get off the throne, jester, the king-Ignis?” Noctis stopped talking as Ignis strode past him, walking up the stairs to Ardyn._

_“Ignis?” he whispered._

_Ignis stopped in front of Ardyn. He reached forward cupped Ardyn’s cheek, grasping his chin in his hands and tilted his head back._

_Noctis felt his heart drop as Ignis leaned down and kissed Ardyn hard on the mouth._

_No. No._

_He shook his head, his eyes wide in shock._

_No, Ignis would never betray him._

_Ardyn’s arm wrapped slowly around Ignis, their tongues battling._

_“Ignis? Ignis, please!” Noctis yelled. Tears burned in his eyes._

_Not this, anything but this._

_Ignis pulled back slightly, a line of saliva joining him to Ardyn. Slowly, both men turned to face Noctis._

_Noctis stared. Dark flame curled off both their bodies. Ignis slowly pulled off his visor, smiling. His right eye was engulfed in Darkness. Ardyn laughed, his arm sliding around Ignis’ waist. His eyes glowed yellow, and Noctis could see Darkness pulsing under his skin._

_“Ignis?”_

_Ardyn laughed, pressing his lips against Ignis’ neck, his teeth sinking into the flesh there._

_Noctis couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ardyn’s hand as it cupped Ignis’ cock through his pants. Ignis moaned, his hips rocking into Ardyn’s hand._

_No._

_Ardyn looked at Noctis, smiling._

_“Did you really think he was still yours, after all this time?”_

_“Ignis, please, listen to me,” Noctis said, stepping slowly on the steps, “this isn’t you. I love you, Ignis, please!”_

_Ignis turned his head and pressed his lips against Ardyn’s cheek._

_“Shall we?” Ardyn whispered, caressing Ignis’ stiff dick._

_“Yes,” Ignis hissed, smiling._

_Noctis yelped when Ardyn suddenly warped into him. “Come sit on the throne, dear Noct.”_

_“Not a chance,” Noctis snapped, raising his hand to summon a blade. He would save Ignis._

_Ardyn threw his head back and laughed. “Pitiful little king.”_

_Ignis was suddenly behind him, an arm around his neck. He walked backwards up the stairs, dragging Noctis with him. He struggled against Ignis, but he couldn’t access the Armiger, he couldn’t warp._

_Ignis threw him onto the throne, tendrils of Darkness leaping to life and binding him to it._

_“We have so much planned for you, Noct,” Ardyn said, standing next to Ignis and looking down at him. He reached out and caressed Noct’s cheek._

_Ardyn quickly undid Ignis’ pants, rolling them down his legs. Noctis closed his eyes. He wouldn’t watch this._

_“None of that, now,” Ardyn said, flicking his fingers at Noctis. Noctis bit back a scream as his eyes were peeled open by Darkness._

_Ignis had one hand wrapped around his cock, stroking quickly, his moans filling the air._

_“Isn’t he beautiful?” Ardyn whispered, his arms sliding around Ignis’ waist._

_##FFXV##_

_Ardyn wrapped his hand over Ignis’, biting his shoulder and never looking away from Noctis. He pressed against Ignis, thrusting against his ass._

_“Ardyn,” Ignis moaned, pressing into him._

_Noctis wanted to blink the tears out of his eyes, but he couldn’t. The Darkness held his eyes open._

_“Ignis…” Noctis sobbed. Ignis laughed as Ardyn’s finger pressed into his asshole, spreading him. With his free hand, Ardyn undid his own pants, freeing his cock._

_“Do you want this, Ignis?” Ardyn asked, nibbling on Ignis’ earlobe._

_“Gods, yes, Ardyn!”_

_Ardyn laughed and shoved his cock into Ignis’ ass. Ignis cried out, his head falling back against Ardyn’s shoulder._

_“Shall we snuff out the Light from the Chosen one?” Ardyn panted, thrusting into Ignis._

_“Yes,” Ignis said, lifting his head. His sightless eyes stared at Noctis, his cock bouncing with every thrust from Ardyn._

_“Lovely,” Ardyn said._

_He pulled out of Ignis, his cock stiff and dripping with precome. Ignis and Ardyn stood on either side of the throne, cocks loose. Ignis knelt, hands reaching out and quickly undoing Noct’s belt and pants._

_Noctis cried out, struggling against Ignis’ grip. Ignis growled, smacking Noctis hard. Ardyn laughed, slowly stroking his own cock._

_Noctis cursed and sobbed as Ignis tore his pants off. He couldn’t believe this was happening. It couldn’t be happening!_

_His legs were spread, and he felt the Darkness bind his ankles anew. He was pulled forward, his ass hanging off the edge of the throne._

_Ignis palmed Noct’s cock, rubbing it harshly. Noctis snarled at him, tears blurring his eyes._

_“Do it,” Ardyn whispered, walking to stand behind Ignis._

_Ignis shifted forward, the head of his cock pressing against Noct’s tight hole. He bared his teeth as he slammed into Noctis._

_Noctis screamed, his body twisting as Ignis tore into him. His ass burned. His heart hurt._

_Ignis had betrayed him. Ignis was raping him._

_Ardyn pressed his cock into Ignis’ willing hole. Ignis groaned, his fingers digging into Noctis’ hips. He thrust forward into Noctis, and as he pulled back he impaled himself on Ardyn’s cock._

_Noctis sobbed, his cock twitching with every thrust._

_“Ignis, please! Please, Iggy, don’t! Ignis, Ignis!” Noct screamed. The Ring of the Lucii felt heavy on his hand. He could almost feel the eyes of the old kings on them._

_He had failed._

_Darkness had won._

_Ignis yelled as he filled Noct’s ass with hot come. Noctis sobbed, shaking his head._

_“Finish him,” Ardyn whispered in Ignis’ ear, his hands resting over Ignis’. “Snuff out the last of the Light.”_

_##FFXV##_

_Ignis tilted his head, his cock still buried in Noct’s ass. He turned and Ardyn kissed him hard on the mouth. Ignis chased the taste of Darkness._

_Noctis wished for death._

_Ignis lifted his hand from Noct’s waist, a katana appearing in it._

_Noctis stared at the blade._

_“Ignis…I love you,” Noctis whispered._

_Ignis screamed, and drove the blade into Noct’s chest._

FFXV

Noct’s eyes flew open. His heart pounded. Ignis was biting his shoulder, thrusting against his thigh and growling.

His arm was around Noctis, pinning him to the bed. Noct felt a thrill of fear. He remembered being bound to the throne, Ignis and Ardyn above him, Ignis raping him, killing him.

Oh gods, Ignis!

Ignis growled into his shoulder, his cock catching against Noct’s. 

“Ignis, Ignis, wake up!” Noct grabbed his shoulder, trying to get Ignis off of him.

Ignis grunted, his seed spilling across Noct’s thigh and cock. 

“Noctis,” Ignis groaned, his hips jerking erratically as he came. “Ardyn, yes!”

Noctis’ eyes narrowed. “Stay the fuck out of his head, asshole,” he snarled. He wrapped his hand in Ignis’ hair and wrenched it back. 

The pain shot through Ignis, his eye snapping open and his mouth finally releasing Noct’s shoulder.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked. 

Ignis cried out and wrenched himself away from Noctis. 

He remembered the dream. He remembered walking up to the throne and kissing Ardyn, fucking Ardyn, raping Noctis.

Killing Noctis.

He screamed, throwing himself off the bed.

Of course Ardyn would choose after Noctis came back, after they made such sweet love, to send the dreams back. Of course Ardyn would make him doubt everything.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he said. He could taste Noct’s blood on his mouth, feel his seed drying on his cock and thighs. 

Noctis sat up, staring at Ignis. He remembered the dream, and wondered if Ignis had been caught in the same one.

“Ignis, it’s okay, it was just a dream.” Was it though? 

“Never…never just a dream,” Ignis whispered, his arms coming around himself. 

“I trust you, Ignis,” Noctis said, standing up and kneeling next to Ignis. “Remember the train, before Gralea?”

Ignis whimpered, nodding briefly. 

“Ardyn was trying to sow distrust between us, and now that I’m back, he’s going to try again. Especially since you were with him. He wants to hurt me, and he wants you to do it.”

“I did, I wanted to, I wanted it,” Ignis said.

Noctis cupped his chin. “Ignis, I am not going to let him drive you away from me. He can send all the dreams he wants. You are mine.” Noctis pressed his lips hard against Ignis’. He could taste his own blood on Ignis’ lips.

Ignis tried to get away from him. Noctis just got closer to him.

“You are mine, Ignis,” Noctis growled against his mouth. “Ardyn can fuck off.”

“Noctis…I raped you, I killed you,” Ignis panted.

“No, it was just a dream. I trust you, I love you.”

He kissed Ignis hard again, his fingers carding through the other man’s hair and tightening, sending tiny lightning bolts of pain across Ignis’ scalp.

He gasped against Noct’s mouth. His cock twitched, the pain and pleasure merging.

“You are mine,” Noctis said again. He grabbed Ignis’ hand and put it over his dick. Ignis tried to pull back, the memories of the dream clouding his perception. Noctis kept his hand over Ignis’, not letting him pull away.

“I trust you,” Noctis said again, drawing both their hands over his cock. Ignis could feel his own seed drying on Noct’s body. Noctis moaned as Ignis swiped his thumb over the head of his cock, pressing into his slit. 

“Up,” Noctis said, drawing Ignis to his feet. Noct pushed Ignis back onto the bed, climbing on top of him.

Ignis seemed a little shell shocked. Noctis pressed his cock against Ignis’, wrapping his hand around both of them. 

“Mine, mine, mine,” Noctis chanted, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder from Ignis biting him as he thrust into his hand.

Ignis figured that they had shared the dream. Ardyn would send it to both of them. He would want to plant the idea into Ignis’ head, and try to sow suspicion in Noctis. He could remember the feel of his cock shoving into Noctis’ unwilling heat, impaling himself on Ardyn as he fucked Noctis to death. 

Noctis kissed Ignis, his tongue curling around Ignis’.

“I’m so sorry,” Ignis said. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. The dream? Going to Ardyn? Staying with Ardyn, the murders, Skaeling? He didn’t know.

Noctis stroked his cheek with his free hand, his other still working both their cocks. 

Noctis felt his orgasm building. Ignis rested his hands on Noct’s hips, fingers digging into the pale flesh. 

“Noct?” Ignis asked suddenly, covering Noct’s hand with one of his own.

“Yeah?” Noct panted. He was so close. He could feel Ignis’ conflict through their bond. He had never been so aware of the bond before. He wondered if his time in the Crystal had made it easier to feel Ignis, or if it was something else. He felt the moment Ignis made a decision of some kind.

Ignis suddenly rolled them. He pinned Noctis beneath him. If Noctis wanted this, who was he to deny his king? Noct’s breath caught in his throat. 

Ignis pressed his lips against Noct’s jaw, feathering his lips over his beard. Noct’s cock dripped, insistently demanding attention. 

Ignis trailed kisses down Noct’s body, licking at the bite wound on his shoulder, kissing it in apology. Noctis fisted his hand in Ignis’ hair as Ignis moved lower, tongue tracing Noct’s muscles.

He felt Noct’s cock against his cheek. He paused, breathing in the musky scent that was Noctis. 

He and Ardyn had never gone down on each other. Ignis probably would’ve tried to bite off Ardyn’s dick if he had ever shoved it in his mouth, and he hadn’t wanted Ardyn’s mouth anywhere near his own cock. He had never told Ardyn that, of course, because if Ardyn had known, he would have done it all the time. 

His tongue flicked out, tasting Noct’s weeping head. Noctis gasped, his hips arching.

“Oh, Ignis,” he said.

Ignis lifted his head and opened his mouth, sliding down Noct’s length. He ran his tongue around the underside, tracing veins. Noctis panted, his fingers tightening in Ignis’ hair.

Ignis loved the pain that it sparked.

He rose off Noct’s cock, sucking hard at the head. Noct’s hips twitched. Ignis slid his hand under Noctis, cradling his balls and rolling them in his hand.

“Ignis, please!” Noct cried out.

Ignis swallowed him down again, Noct’s cock hitting the back of his throat. Noctis started thrusting, and Ignis let him. It hurt, and his eye teared up, but the pain didn’t bother him.

Pain didn’t seem to bother him at all, and that kind of scared Noctis.

What had Ardyn done to him?

Noctis cried out, his hips stuttering as he came down Ignis’ throat. Ignis swallowed everything, closing his eye and memorizing the flavor of Noctis. He lifted his head from Noctis at Noct’s insistent tugging on his hair.

Noctis dragged him up and kissed him hard, tasting himself in Ignis’ mouth.

“Mine,” he said again. Ignis shook above him, somewhat horrified at what he had done. He had wanted to do so much more; pin Noctis, peel screams from him, take what Noctis had willingly given.

Ignis lowered his head and felt the tears roll down his cheeks. How could Noctis stand to touch him? How? 

“I’m here, Ignis, it’s going to be okay.”

Ignis tried to laugh through his tears. “We both know how the story ends, majesty.”

Noctis closed his eyes, pulling Ignis’ head down onto his chest. “What follows us after death, Ignis?”

Ignis wrapped one arm around Noct’s waist. “Love.”

Noct’s arms tightened around him. “Always love.”

He held Ignis as the blind man cried. 

Ignis sobbed, his head on Noct’s shoulder. That feeling of crushing loneliness settled around him again. Ten years of Darkness, ten years of longing, ten years of torture, of rape, of needing Ardyn, of missing Noctis and the others, all of it hit Ignis at once.

He clung to Noctis, craving the human contact.

He loved Noctis.

He still needed Ardyn’s touch.

He was damned no matter what.

FFXV

Noctis stepped out of Ignis’ room and nearly tripped over Umbra. He heard Cindy laugh and he looked up.

“He’s been there all night,” Cindy said, “I don’t think he wanted ya’ll to be bothered.”

Ignis walked out behind him, stopping when he ran into Noct’s back. Noctis took his hand, twining their fingers together. Cindy smiled at Noctis.

Noct’s eyes went wide when he saw the car that Cindy was working on.

“Is that the Regalia?”

“Yessir!” Cindy said with a grin. “Aranea brought it back from Gralea when she brought Ignis and the others back. She was quite the mess. Ignis and me have been working on ‘er for years.”

Noctis squeezed Ignis’ hand and pulled him with him as he walked around the Regalia. She was nowhere near her former glory. The body was mostly primer, and the hood was gone, the engine exposed.

He never thought he was going to see the car again.

“Should be able to get ‘er running so ya’ll can drive her back to the city,” Cindy said.

Noctis paused, lifting his eyes and staring at Cindy. Ignis squeezed his hand and walked over to the car, running his fingers over the engine.

“I know she won’t be as purdy as she was before, but you can still take her back to the city.”

Noctis looked back at the car, then lifted his eyes to look at Cindy. “You keep her.”

Cindy’s eyes widened. Noctis had never seen her look so shocked.

“Wha? But don’t you want to drive her back to Insomnia?”

Noctis smiled sadly, running his fingers over the metal of the trunk. “We’re going to walk into the city. The four of us, just like when we left. You keep the Regalia. Consider it ten years worth of thank you’s from an appreciative king.” He came to a stop next to Ignis.

Cindy stared at him, her eyes wide.

Noctis smiled again. “I can’t think of anyone better to keep her than you.”

“Keep the car, Cindy,” Ignis said quietly.

Cindy looked between the two men, fighting emotion. The Regalia was still the most beautiful thing in all of Eos to Cindy. Working on it had helped keep her mind off the long night, the guilt of sending Papa into Lestallum, the worry over Ignis’ sanity.

She had expected Noctis to want to drive it back to Insomnia, and she had resigned herself to never see it again.

She never expected him to give her the car.

“Yer sure?” Cindy whispered.

“Yes,” Noctis said, “I know you’ll take care of her.”

Cindy nodded vigorously. She walked forward and threw her arms around both their necks in a double hug. Ignis started, and all three of their heads knocked together. Noctis laughed, rubbing his head and hugging Cindy.

“I guess I should start breakfast,” Ignis said finally, disengaging himself from the group hug.

“We’ll come with ya,” Cindy said. Noctis reached out and took Ignis’ hand. Ignis was tense, still very unused to being touched. Cindy walked around to his other side and looped her arm through his. Normally, she wouldn’t have done it without telling Ignis first, but with Noctis back, she was hoping Ignis would be more stable.

Ignis stood there for a second, his mind blank with shock. Noctis stood to his right, fingers intertwined with his, and Cindy was on his left, her arm folded through his.

Noctis leaned forward, his head resting briefly on Ignis’ shoulder. “You’re not alone, Ignis, not now, not anymore.”

“Nope,” Cindy said, starting to walk and dragging both men with her, “Yer stuck with us now.”

Ignis was trapped in between them, both warm and solid at his sides. He felt a rush of gratitude.

He knew the end was coming, and that he would have to be near Ardyn again, but in that moment, between the man he loved and the woman who had proven to be his truest friend, he let himself hope, just a little.

Maybe there could be some redemption for him after all.

FFXV

Prompto sat in the booth, turning the pages of one of his photo albums idly. Iris leaned against Cor, her eyes closed, snoring softly. Cor’s eyes were half closed, leaning against the wall. He was careful not to move so he didn’t disturb Iris.

Aranea sharpened her lance. Gladio was lying in the booth with his head on Prompto’s lap. Talcott talked quietly to Takka.

The door opened and Cindy, Ignis, and Noctis walked in. Cor’s eyes dropped to Ignis and Noct’s laced fingers, and his gut twisted.

Prompto looked up. “Mornin’ fellas,” he said, smiling hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if Noctis was going to go off on them again.

“Is it morning?” Noctis asked. “How do you tell?”

“Whenever we wake up is morning,” Gladio said, opening his eyes and sitting up.

“Then good morning,” Noctis said. Ignis squeezed his hand and let go, walking to the stove. Takka talked to him quickly, and Ignis nodded. The two men started preparing breakfast. It was a well-organized dance that the two knew well.

Noctis walked over to Prompto and dropped into the booth across from him and Gladio. Cor nudged Iris with his shoulder and she started awake.

“We did manage to get some eggs,” Takka called to everyone, “enough for everyone. We’ll have a feast.”

“Sounds good,” Gladio said. His eyes darted to Ignis. Ignis seemed okay. Gladio swallowed. He felt terrible about the fiasco the day before.

It seemed like every time he tried to fix his relationship with Ignis, he fucked it up somehow. 

“What’re you looking at, Prom?” Noctis asked.

“Here,” Prompto pushed the photo album over to him. Noctis took it and carefully turned it to the beginning.

He stared; the very first photo was one of him sitting on the road leaning against the back of the Regalia. It was from the day they had left the city. He stared at the pictures.

There was one of Cindy, looking kind of bewildered to find herself the focus of a stranger’s camera. There was Cid, looking at Noct’s sword. There was the four of them, standing around the newly repainted Regalia, all smiling.

He kept looking. Prompto watched him silently, his fingers clinging to Gladio’s. Gladio stroked the back of his hand gently.

“Breakfast is ready,” Ignis said. Noctis closed the album.

“Can I finish looking at them after we eat?” Noctis asked, his voice thick.

“Of course,” Prompto said.

Takka and Ignis handed out food. Noctis pulled Ignis down into the seat next to him. Ignis grunted as he hit the seat. 

The mood seemed slightly more relaxed as everyone ate. After Takka rounded up the plates, he left, leaving them alone.

“So, when do we leave?” Talcott asked, leaning forward and looking intently at Noctis.

Noctis took a deep breath, his hand dropping under the table to touch Ignis’ knee. Ignis twitched when Noct touched him, but managed not to completely jump at the touch.

Noctis let out the breath and looked up.

“We don’t.”

“What?” Iris asked.

“It’s just going to be me, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto-“

“That’s not fair!” Iris snapped.

“Yeah,” Talcott said, “we’re ready for the city.”

Ignis snorted, choking back laughter. Everyone fell silent, staring at him as he finally broke down and just started laughing. Cindy arched her eyebrow. Ignis sounded more than a little crazy when he laughed like that.

“What?” Talcott asked, crossing his arms. “What’s so funny?”

Ignis snickered, turning his head towards Talcott. “That you think you could handle the city, boy. That any of you could survive that place.”

“You did,” Cor said, leaning forward and looking hard at Ignis.

Ignis bared his teeth at Cor in a ferocious smile. “So I did.”

“And you’re not going to talk about it, are you?” Cor growled. 

Ignis just smiled again, tilting his head. He knew it irritated Cor, and he liked it. Part of him worried that Cor suspected the truth.

Part of him regretted not killing Cor when he had the chance.

“Ignis,” Noctis said warningly, squeezing his knee.

Ignis leaned back in his seat, eye half closed behind his visor. He still smirked.

“What, the king comes back and you’re back on your leash?” Cor asked bitterly.

“I’m afraid Noctis doesn’t have my leash,” Ignis said dryly, “I believe Cindy still has it. I was her pet lunatic, after all.”

Cindy bit back a laugh. It had been years since anyone had called Ignis that.

“Stop messing with Cor,” Noctis said softly.

“But he’s so much fun to fuck with,” Ignis said, surprising everyone with his foul language.

“For a second there I thought you were going to say he’s so much fun to fuck,” Gladio said.

Ignis turned his head slightly. “I have never had the privilege of fucking Cor, although I’m sure he’s wonderful in bed.”

Cor looked horrified. Iris covered her mouth, fighting the grin. Aranea howled with laughter.

“I would wonder if his stamina holds up to his nickname,” Ignis said, touching his lip.

“Ignis!” Cindy snorted, laughing. Ignis’ lip twitched.

“Okay, back on topic,” Cor said, his cheeks flushed. Noctis thought he was angry, not embarrassed. “Why aren’t the rest of us going with you?”

Everyone’s laughter died down. They stared at Noctis, waiting. 

Noctis sighed. “It has to be just the four of us. I need it to be just the four of us.”

“We’re not helpless, no matter what Ignis thinks,” Talcott said forcefully. “Cor’s trained us for ten years, your majesty. We’ve all trained for ten years so we could help you!”

Ignis shook his head. 

“What?” Iris snapped at him. “Why shake your head?”

“You all trained to take down daemons, not to help Noctis. You thought he was dead until I came back, remember?”

Everyone was silent again. Ignis snorted, standing up. “If you’ll excuse me, your majesty, I’m going to go work on a car.” He bowed shortly and strode from the diner. He couldn’t handle all of them in a group without Skaeling peeking out. Large groups of people triggered something nasty in him. He took refuge in the garage.

Noctis watched him walk out.

“I know you’ve all trained, that’s easy to see. But I need it to just be the four of us. It needs to end the way it began…I can’t explain it any better than that.”

“What about the city?” Cor asked intently.

Noct’s eyes flicked to him. “I trust Ignis to get us through.”

“Majesty, we have no idea what he did-“

Noctis held up one hand, silencing Cor. “I know more than you think, Marshal. I trust him to see the four of us to the palace. After that, I’ll do what I must.” 

Their eyes were locked. Cor stared at him, his heart twisting. Looking into Noctis’ eyes, he knew that Noctis knew what was waiting for him in the end.

“Plus, I need someone to stay behind and get everything organized once the sun comes up,” Noctis said.

Cor groaned. He hated organizing shit. Ten years of basically running the hunters had made him just want to disappear.

“Of course, Majesty,” Cor said, dropping his eyes. He still didn’t trust Ignis. He had wanted to be there with the king as they went back into the city.

“Wait a sec,” Iris said, “I still say it’s not fair! Gladdy, tell him we can handle it!”

Gladio looked at his sister. “Noctis has his reasons, Iris. I’m not going to try to change his mind. I’m sure he’s thought it through.”

“But, we wanted to help…” Talcott said. He hated how young he sounded.

“You can help the most by staying and helping people once the sun comes back,” Noctis said, looking at each of the others in turn. 

“What about you?” Iris asked fiercely, “won’t you be there to help?”

Noctis smiled as best he could. “I will do everything I can from the palace,” he said softly. He didn’t want to tell them the truth. He would tell Gladio and Prompto once they were on the road.

Noct’s eyes locked with Cor’s again. Cor nodded gravely, bowing his head. He would tell the others when the time was right. Cindy watched, her eyes sad. She stood up and walked out, going to help Ignis. She wasn’t sure what she thought about Noctis not telling the others that he would have to die, but it was his choice.

Iris seemed to accept his answer. Noctis turned back to Prompto. 

“Now, I want to see the rest of these pictures,” he said, reaching for the photo album again. Everyone gathered around, wanting to see his reactions to the pictures.

Noctis continued to flip leisurely through the albums. He paused when he reached the pictures Prompto had taken in Altissia. His eyes roved over Ignis’ perfect face, his sometimes goofy smile, his green eyes glittering behind his specs. 

He turned the page. 

There were fewer photos. One of him and Gladio kneeling in front of a generator. Another of Ignis walking carefully, cane out, dark glasses over his face. Another of Ignis sitting quietly in the camp, looking pale and drawn.

Noctis had to swallow bile at seeing him like that again. The horror and pain of Altissia came rushing back. 

He quickly moved on.

There was a gap in photos, and Noctis knew that was because that was when Prompto had been held captive. The next picture was one of him and Ignis curled together on a bed in the safe room. Another of Gladio swinging his Greatsword, Prompto shooting a daemon. Ignis cradling Noct’s face, tears streaming down Noctis’ face.

Right before he left them to go the Crystal.

There were no photos for a time. As Noctis flipped through the pages, he saw plenty of pictures of Gladio. There was one of Iris and Talcott, clearly both learning to fight. Another of Aranea watching as Talcott flew her airship.

“These of your wedding?” Noctis asked, touching a photo of Gladio and Prompto with flower crowns on, Cor standing in between them.

“Yeah,” Prompto said, smiling slightly. “Talcott took those.”

Noctis smiled, glad to see that Gladio and Prompto still seemed so happy, so in love. He wondered if it would change his plans for Insomnia. He would find out once they were on the road.

More pictures; Lestallum, crowded beyond anything Noct had ever seen before; daemons and hunters; none of Ignis, or Cindy, or Hammerhead.

There was one of Cor and Iris standing back to back, fighting ferociously side by side.

Finally, Cindy started showing up again, but still no Ignis. 

Noctis turned the page again and froze, his mouth hanging open.

“Is that _Ignis_?” he asked in shock. 

“Yup,” Gladio said. “That’s how he looked when he showed up. We thought he was dead, too. Definitely didn’t expect him to come riding up on a daemon.”

Noctis touched the photo. Ignis had long hair, tied back. He wore no visor, but his right eye was closed. He wore a dark blue jacket with silver piping and buttons, knee high boots, and tight pants. 

“Looks like he stepped out of a painting,” Noctis said, his voice laced with awe. Ignis had always been a beautiful man, but this was something else.

“Like something out of 2000 years ago,” Cor said tightly.

Noct’s eyes flicked to Cor and then back to the picture. It was typical court style from Ardyn’s time at court, Noctis realized. He wondered at Ignis’ outfit then. Had Ardyn dressed him?

“He freaked out a bit after we mentioned that,” Gladio said, turning the page for Noctis and pointing at the next picture. Ignis was caught mid snarl, the jacket in a pile on the ground, his shirt half off.

Noct’s eyes widened at the wounds on Ignis’ back. He had seen the scars, but his back was still bleeding in the photos. 

He felt another surge of hatred for Ardyn.

His eyebrow shot up when he saw the next picture. Ignis straddled Cor and had a dagger at his throat.

“He took offense to me touching him,” Cor said.

“And that’s how we discovered you weren’t dead,” Prompto said softly. 

“What do you mean?” Noctis asked. Cindy had told him briefly, but he wanted to hear it from them.

Gladio sighed, his arm dropping over Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto leaned against his husband. “After Gralea, when Aranea was flying us back here, Prompto and I tried to summon our weapons and couldn’t. We couldn’t even feel the armory. I had felt the oath bond with you break the moment you were taken by the Crystal…Ignis…well, you know what happened to Ignis,” Gladio said uncomfortably. “We thought you were dead.”

“We never tried to summon our weapons after that,” Prompto said, “it hurt thinking that you were dead, that we’d never see you again, so we never tried. We were shocked when Ignis summoned his dagger and nearly killed Cor. It changed everything.” 

“Suddenly, we had hope again,” Iris said. “We had tried to think of anything we could do to bring back the sun. We even went to Costlemark looking for clues, but didn’t turn up anything relevant.”

Noctis dropped his eyes back to the photos. There was Ignis with a pompadour, holding a dagger to Cor’s throat with his arms around the Marshal’s neck. More pictures of Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto going on hunts together. There was one of Ignis working on the Regalia with Cindy.

There was one of Noctis getting out of the truck.

“Thanks for bringing all these, Prompto,” Noctis said, closing the book and smiling at his friend. “Make sure to bring some of them with us, but maybe not all seven photo albums, yeah?”

Prompto smiled. “Sure thing, Noct!”

Gladio leaned back. “So, when do we leave?”

Noctis glanced at them. “Tomorrow.”

“You’ll take the Regalia?” Cor asked.

Noctis shook his head. “We’re walking.”

“What?” Prompto asked in surprise. Gladio looked just as shocked.

Noctis smiled sadly. “Guys, it’s been ten years since the four of us have fought side by side. Yeah, you and Ignis have gone out a few times the past couple of years and fought together, but the four of us are going to need to find our rhythm again. We’re going to run into daemons on the way, and walking will give us time to relearn each other.”

Gladio nodded. “Good plan. It’ll be good to fight together again, the four of us.”

“So soon?” Iris asked, looking between them.

Noctis stood up, resting his hand on Iris’ shoulder.

“You’ve all waited ten years for the dawn,” he said softly, “I can’t see making everyone wait any longer than necessary.”

He looked from one person to another, his eyes solemn. “Thank you all, for doing all you could for the citizens of Lucis, for my people. I ask that you continue to help them while we go to the city. Tell them that the light will come back soon, and they just need to hold out a little longer.”

Noctis smiled sadly, his hand falling from Iris’ shoulder. “We leave tomorrow morning, after we all wake up. Gather your gear, all the curatives we can carry. Get some rest, and…say your goodbyes.”

Noctis turned and walked slowly from the diner with an almost imperceptible limp. His knee was starting to bother him.

No one moved for a moment. Cor dropped his head into his hands. He had hoped to go with the king back into Insomnia, to stand beside him as he hadn’t when the boys had left the Citadel all those years ago.

He lifted his head and stared briefly at Gladio and Prompto, curled against each other, whispering softly. They didn’t know what they were going to be walking into. 

They didn’t yet know that Noctis, the last king of Lucis, walked gracefully to his death.

He could see that Iris and Talcott were still annoyed that they wouldn’t be going into the city with Noctis. 

He stood up. “C’mon,” he said to them, “let’s start gathering curatives for the king. They’re going to need them.”

Cor walked out the door, followed closely by Iris and Talcott. Aranea patted Gladio and Prompto on the shoulder as she walked by.

Prompto looked up at Gladio, nuzzling his chin. “Just the four of us, I guess.”

“Yup,” Gladio said, his arms tightening around Prompto. “Just like old times.”

“I’m glad, actually,” Prompto said. “I hope we get to talk to Ignis, really talk to him.”

“We will,” Gladio said, kissing Prompto’s forehead. “We will.”

They sat in silence for a few more minutes and finally stood up. They walked to the door and out into the night.

Gladio paused, staring up at the sky. Everyone always said that it was darkest right before the dawn. He took a deep breath, the cold air stinging his lungs.

The dawn would come again.

Gladio wondered what the cost would be.

He wondered how many of them would still be standing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardnis summary: After pinning Noct to the throne, Ignis rapes him while Ardyn fucks Ignis. Noctis fights, but can't stop it. Just...read the actual story. The summary makes it seem like nothing but I feel like it's actually important and yes, it's rape, but I don't think it's very graphic.
> 
> I'm going to hell anyway for this story, so, lemme know what ya'll think!


	35. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Cor talks to Gladio, the boys head for Insomnia, and Ignis saves Prompto's ass and Noctis worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Almost done with school. HOORAY. And this past week was nuts with work and school and then moving my 5 horses home, but I finally got this done. I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-Homeward Bound

Noctis leaned against the wall in the garage, quietly watching Ignis and Cindy work on the Regalia. The two of them moved easily together, clearly used to working together.

Noctis nearly snorted. This whole thing would be much easier if Ignis had been in a relationship with Cindy instead of Ardyn. He shook his head. 

“I can feel you watching,” Ignis said, wiping his hands on a rag.

“Sorry,” Noctis said, pushing off the wall and walking forward. Ignis tensed as he slipped his arm around his waist, resting his head against Ignis’ chest. 

“You going to be ready to head out tomorrow?” Noctis asked softly.

Ignis closed his eye behind his visor. Tomorrow. Gods, he wasn’t sure he wanted to head back to the city at all. Ardyn was there. Ardyn was waiting. 

Noctis felt Ignis’ heart pound away under his head. His arm tightened around Ignis’ waist.

“Of course, your majesty,” Ignis said stiffly. Noctis sighed against his chest.

“Ya’ll are going to need these,” Cindy said, walking over to a locker. Gladio and Prompto walked into the garage as she opened it. “Here.”

Gladio stepped forward and touched the large box she had pulled out. He opened it, pulling out a large black jacket.

“A Kingsglaive uniform?” he asked in surprise.

“They were in the trunk of the Regalia,” Cindy said, putting her hands on her hips. 

Ignis sighed. “They were tailored for us before we left Insomnia,” he said softly. “I believe your father had them put in the Regalia, Gladio.”

Prompto lifted another jacket. “Will they fit? It’s been years since we were fit for our Crownsguard uniforms.”

“They’ll fit,” Ignis said.

Gladio set his jacket aside and pulled out boots and pants. His fingers brushed something and he paused, glancing at Noctis before lifting it out.

Noctis stared. It was the mantle of the king. He let go of Ignis and stepped forward, taking it slowly from Gladio.

His father really had thought of everything. His eyes stung, but he quickly blinked back his tears.

Gladio watched him. Noct lifted his eyes. They stared at each other, King and Shield. Noctis could feel that the oath bond was gone. Prompto was chatting at Cindy, holding his Kingsglaive jacket up to his body. Ignis stood silently, wondering how long the peace between him and Noctis would last.

Gladio fisted his hand over his heart and bowed. “My king,” he whispered, “welcome back.”

Noctis nodded at him.

“We’d better finish getting ready,” Noctis said, running his fingers over the mantle.

Ignis sighed inaudibly. 

He felt like he was twenty-two and recently blinded again. The world was moving too fast around him. Noctis was back, he was bonded to the king again, and they were leaving in less than twenty-four hours.

He thought he heard Ardyn laugh.

FFXV

Cor stared at the small number of curatives they were able to spare. It wasn’t much. He hoped it would be enough. Everyone had worked silently throughout the night, gathering what they could. 

Gladio walked into Takka’s, adjusting his Kingsglaive uniform.

“Looks good on you,” Cor said.

“Thanks. I was shocked it fit, but it was like they were made for us now, not how we were when we left.”

Cor smiled slightly. “This is what we’ve been able to round up. I’m sorry it’s not more.”

“It’ll be enough,” Gladio said softly. He stood next to Cor for a moment. Cor took a deep breath.

“I need to talk to you about Ignis,” Cor said. Gladio looked at him, wondering if he was finally going to find out why Cor was so distrustful of Ignis.

“Okay,” Gladio said easily.

“Somewhere where we can’t be interrupted,” Cor said. 

“Alright. Let’s take these curatives to Noct for him to put in the armory, then we’ll walk the perimeter.”

Cor nodded, and the two men gathered the curatives. They walked in silence to the garage, where Noctis sat on a stool, watching Ignis and Cindy work on the Regalia. He nodded at them and took the curatives, putting them in the armory.

Cor and Gladio walked slowly around the perimeter of Hammerhead, nodding at other hunters. Finally, they drew to a halt in a dark corner.

“Okay, Cor, spill,” Gladio said, crossing his arms.

Cor pinched the bridge of his nose. There was really no easy way to do this, so he figured he should just come out and say it.

“I think that Ignis is Skaeling.”

Gladio’s arms fell to his sides. “What?”

Cor closed his eyes, his fingers massaging his head. “Do you remember the reports we’d get from the city? About the Monster of Insomnia?”

“Yes,” Gladio said.

“There was one I got from a man who had seen Skaeling, had apparently worked for him for a period of time. Said that there was a group of men who would locate…victims…for him, and then Skaeling would go in and wreak havoc.”

“What in the hell does this have to do with Ignis?”

“He described Skaeling to me. Long hair, scars over the left eye, right eye filled with Darkness. Trailed Darkness behind him like a cloak and daemons and MTs responded to his very will. I didn’t make the connection until Ignis came back.”

Gladio looked away. The description did match Ignis as he had been when he returned from Insomnia. He hadn’t seen Ignis’ right eye, because the man had always been careful to wear his visor or keep his eyes closed.

“It can’t be Ignis,” Gladio said softly, “it just…no. Ignis would never do what that…monster did.”

“Gladio, the reports of Skaeling stopped after Ignis left the city,” Cor said, “Skaeling has been quiet for two years, the exact time that Ignis has been back.”

“What the hell do you want me to do about it?” Gladio snapped. He didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t believe it. Ignis had cooked for them, gone hunting with them, slept beside them. He couldn’t be a murderer, a monster.

“Just…watch the king’s back. I wanted to go with you all to keep an eye on Ignis. We have no idea why he left the city. We have no idea what he’s capable of.”

Gladio ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t you think Noctis would’ve felt something when the bond came back?”

“I don’t know,” Cor said softly, looking in the distance towards Insomnia. “I just don’t know.”

Gladio sighed. “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on him. But I don’t…I can’t believe it, Cor. We abandoned Ignis, we left him behind. It was stupid, and selfish, and we pretended like he didn’t exist. If it is true…if Ignis really is Skaeling…

“Then it may very well be our fault.”

Cor didn’t respond.

There was nothing he could say.

FFXV

Noctis’ head rested on Ignis’ chest. They had everything ready. They were leaving within the hour. 

He had placed all the camping gear in the armory, along with curatives, food, and other essentials. Prompto had loved having the armory back, going on about how Gladio had made him carry the camp chairs when they went hunting.

Ignis lay on his back, fingers carding through Noct’s hair. He wore his Kingsglaive uniform, minus the jacket. The feel of the uniform reminded Ignis of what Ardyn had made him wear. He tried not to dwell on it. 

“You okay, Iggy?” Noctis asked, lifting his head and looking at Ignis’ face.

“I am fine, majesty.”

“Noctis.”

“Noctis,” Ignis said, his fingers stilling. 

“You won’t betray me, Ignis, I know you won’t.” 

Ignis shivered slightly. He couldn’t get that dream out of his head. The feel of Ardyn inside him while he raped Noctis plagued him. 

Noctis ran his fingers gently over Ignis’ arm. He had been touching Ignis nearly constantly since they had started getting everything together, just trying to get him to relax. Sometimes, it seemed like it was working. Sometimes, it almost felt like the old Ignis beside him.

Then, Ignis would tense up, shy away from him, try to pull away.

It hurt. Noctis wished he had more time. He wanted to wrap his arms around Ignis and never let the man go.

He couldn’t.

“C’mon,” Noctis whispered, standing up and helping Ignis to his feet, “it’s time to go.”

Ignis gripped Noct’s wrist, tugging him closer. Noctis stared up at Ignis’ face, marveling again at how beautiful the man was to him.

Ignis wanted to kiss him, but he hadn’t initiated any romantic contact between them. He wasn’t sure if he could.

Ignis opened his mouth. He should tell Noctis everything, tell him of the murders, and the torture, and the daemons, and of Skaeling.

A strangled sound escaped his throat, and Noctis rose on his toes, kissing him gently.

“It’ll be okay, Ignis, somehow.”

Ignis sighed against his mouth, shoving thoughts of Ardyn and Insomnia away.

For a brief moment, he was able to forget where they were heading.

For a brief moment, he was able to pretend Noctis would still love him after finding out the truth.

They walked out of the garage.

FFXV

Everyone was there to see them off. Gladio had his arms wrapped tightly around Iris, talking softly in her ear as she clung to him. Prompto was talking to Talcott and Aranea, hugging them both. Cor watched Gladio and Iris. Cindy stood next to the gate.

Noctis and Ignis joined them. Ignis twisted his hand free of Noct’s and hung back. He didn’t feel like he was part of this group. 

“Stay safe, Gladdy,” Iris whispered fiercely. Gladio kissed her on the forehead and gently let go of her. Prompto flung his arms around his sister-in-law, kissing her on the cheek. She laughed, holding him tightly.

Gladio turned to Cor. “Watch over Iris for me, will you?” he asked softly.

Cor smiled wryly. “Somehow, I think she’ll end up taking care of me more.”

Gladio smirked. Cor was probably right. Cor stepped forward and embraced the big man. Gladio folded his arms around Cor. 

“Watch over the king,” Cor said, “and watch your backs.”

“Always,” Gladio said, stepping back. “Thanks for everything.”

Cor nodded, turning to Prompto. 

Noctis slowly moved from person to person, thanking them personally for all they had done over the ten years he’d been gone. 

He thanked Aranea for sticking with his friends.

He thanked Talcott for being strong.

He thanked Cor for stepping up and leading them.

He thanked Iris for her unconditional love.

He thanked Cindy for Ignis.

They stood there, the four of them in front of the others. Iris wiped away tears. It wasn’t like she would never see them again, right? They were going to see the dawn again.

“Ready?” Noctis asked, looking at his four companions.

His friends.

His brothers.

“Let’s do this,” Gladio said.

“One sec, prince,” Cindy said, stepping forward.

“You do know he’s the king, right?” Talcott asked.

Noctis laughed. “Cindy can call me whatever she wants.” Cindy had been there for Ignis when no one else was. As far as Noctis was concerned, she could call him anything.

Cindy threw him a smile and stepped closer to Ignis. “Now, Prince, don’t get jealous, kay?”

“What?” Noctis asked, completely confused.

Cindy grinned and stepped up to Ignis, touching his shoulder. He turned to her, a frown on his face. Cindy stared at him for a moment. “Don’t freak out, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” she said, standing on her toes and kissing him hard on the mouth.

Ignis stood completely still for a second, and then kissed her back. Noctis watched them for a moment, again wishing that Ignis had just entered a sexual relationship with Cindy instead of Ardyn. It would’ve been so much…less painful for everyone involved.

“Hey!” Prompto yelped.

“You’re married,” Noctis said dryly. He found that he wasn’t jealous of Cindy kissing Ignis. Without Cindy, Ignis would probably be dead. He didn’t begrudge her a kiss. Ignis held her to him.

“Married, not blind,” Prompto said. Gladio whacked him over the head. Prompto smiled at him and wrapped his arm around his husband’s waist.

Ignis wasn’t sure what to think. Cindy was soft, and tasted vaguely of oil. She pulled back, smiling. 

“Take care of yourself, you crazy bastard,” Cindy said.

Ignis managed a smile. He touched her shoulder. He knew this would be the last time he would be in her company. He found he would miss her. She had been a true friend, his only real friend, during the past ten years. She never judged him for his sins.

“Thank you, Cindy, for everything,” Ignis whispered. She smiled up at him, knowing he couldn’t see it.

“Don’t you dare push Noctis away,” she said quietly. Ignis’ face shut down slightly, but he nodded.

She turned and smiled at Noctis. He saw the tears shining in her eyes, and he nodded, thanking her silently again.

The four men turned and Cindy opened the gate. They stepped out onto the road and set off into the darkness. 

They didn’t look back.

FFXV

They walked for hours, fighting daemons, relearning each other’s moves.

Prompto and Gladio fought together like they had one brain. It warmed Noct’s heart to see how well they fought.

Ignis cut through daemons like a savage, darting in and around Noctis and the others, taking out daemons that came close to maiming them.

It was unnerving, but useful. He noticed the way Gladio watched Ignis, his eyes suspicious. Noctis decided not to think about it. He couldn’t think about. He didn’t want to think of what it could mean.

They stayed on the road, heading ever closer to the city.

Ignis rarely said a word, and Noctis could feel his apprehension through the bond. He touched Ignis’ hand, lacing their fingers together whenever they didn’t have to fight daemons. Ignis turned his head towards him, but didn’t pull away.

They had been walking for hours when they finally hit the old blockade. They had finally found their old rhythm, fighting together almost like old times. 

“Hang on a sec,” Noctis said. The others stopped, standing around him.

“Remember when the city fell?” Noctis asked, staring at the blockade. “Remember the overlook?”

“Yeah,” Prompto said quietly. He remembered all too well watching the smoke rising off his home, the airships flying overhead, Noctis finding out he was the king.

“Let’s go there. I want to camp there tonight. We’ll head into the city tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me,” Gladio said. Prompto nodded.

“Indeed,” Ignis said. Anything to delay going into the city one more night.

Noctis led the way. He remembered fighting the MTs, he remembered the horror of finding out his father was dead.

He missed his dad.

There were some daemons between them and the overlook, but nothing they couldn’t handle. 

Ignis thought the daemons felt particularly weak to him. He thought he could feel a twisting Darkness within the city.

Ardyn was preparing something, he was sure of it.

They reached the overlook and Gladio began to set up camp. They worked silently. Ignis set up his stove, running his fingers over it. 

He began to cook, deciding to make one of Noct’s favorite dishes from before. It was fitting, he thought.

Noctis walked up behind him, slipping his arms around Ignis’ waist. Ignis started, then tried to relax into his arms.

One more night.

One more night before they hit the city.

Prompto dropped into his chair next to Gladio, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. Gladio smiled at him, running his thumb over Prompto’s hand.

“It’ll be great, won’t it?” Prompto asked. “Once the sun comes back out?”

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Gladio said.

Noctis pressed himself harder against Ignis. Ignis dropped his hand over Noctis’, understanding his dismay.

“Just think,” Prompto said, “Noct will be king, the sun will be up, it’ll be the best!”

Gladio and Prompto continued talking softly about what they wanted to do after the sun came up, how they planned on standing next to Noctis and heralding in the new age.

“You need to tell them,” Ignis said softly, turning in Noct’s arms.

Noctis sighed, his arms tightening around Ignis’ waist. “I know.”

“Let us eat, first. You shouldn’t have to tell them on an empty stomach.”

Noctis smiled. It was so normal. He kissed Ignis quickly on the lips and went back to his chair. 

Ignis doled out the rice and meat and carried the bowls over. Prompto stood up, getting drinks out of the cooler. He passed one to Ignis as the taller man sat down. Ignis nodded his thanks.

They ate, talking softly about nothing.

“This is delicious, Ignis,” Noctis said, scraping the bottom of his bowl.

“It’s amazing,” Prompto agreed. “I swear you’ve gotten even better at cooking after all this time.”

“Thank you, Prompto,” Ignis said softly.

“I missed your cooking,” Gladio said suddenly, looking down at his bowl.

Ignis stilled. Noctis watched him. It was the closest anyone had come to mentioning the fact that they hadn’t interacted for years, that Ignis had been abandoned.

Ignis took a shuddering breath. “And I missed cooking for you all,” he said, standing up. He hadn’t done much cooking with Ardyn. Ardyn had slaves to do that sort of thing. 

He gathered their bowls and set them back on the table next to the camp stove. He sat back down.

They sat in silence for a moment.

“The four of us around a campfire,” Noctis said, “how long’s it been?”

Ignis sighed. “An eternity.”

Gladio’s mind went back to the last camp. Cartanica. The night he discovered that Ignis and Noctis were in love. The night that Ignis had tried to kill him.

What he wouldn’t give to go back to Altissia and help Ignis and Noctis instead of trying to drive them apart.

“What’re you going to do first, Noct?” Prompto asked. Noctis looked at him across the fire.

“What do you mean?”

“When the sun comes up. What’re going to do when you’re king for real?”

Noctis closed his eyes briefly, reaching out blindly for Ignis’ hand. Ignis felt Noct’s fingers graze the back of his hand, and he took the king’s hand.

“I’m not going to be king,” Noctis said softly.

Gladio sat forward, his eyes narrow. Noctis opened his eyes and looked at them.

“What do you mean you’re not going to be king?” Prompto asked, frowning.

Noctis’ hand spasmed in Ignis’. Ignis found himself stroking Noct’s hand.

“When I was taken by the Crystal…I met Bahamut. He…told me things. About Ardyn. About the Starscourge. About…bringing back the sun.”

Gladio’s heart fell. Oh no. He had a bad feeling about this. 

His eyes fell to Ignis’ thumb, gently stroking the back of Noct’s hand. He had a feeling Ignis knew what was coming, that Ignis had known for a long time.

“I have to die,” Noctis said, his eyes locked on the fire. There might have been an easier, kinder, way to tell them, but he couldn’t think of one at the time. 

Prompto stared at him in horror. Gladio closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands.

“I…I’m so sorry,” Noctis said. Gladio’s head snapped up.

“Why in the hell are you apologizing to us for this?”

Noctis stared at him. “I was gone for ten years and-“

“Don’t apologize, Noctis,” Gladio said, his voice thick. 

Prompto wiped his eyes, trying to stifle his cries.

“I actually wanted to talk to you guys about it,” Noctis said, his hand clinging to Ignis’ almost painfully.

“About what?” Prompto asked.

Noctis took a deep breath. “You two can go back. I’m not going to force you to come with me and Ignis.”

Gladio’s eyes widened. Why was Noctis giving them the chance to back down? Did he not want them with him?

“What the heck is that supposed to mean?” Gladio snapped.

Noct’s eyes met his. “You guys are married. I…I don’t want to be the reason one or both of you don’t get to be together. I…I have no idea if you guys are going to make it. I have no idea what we’re going to face once we get to the city. I don’t…shit, I don’t know.” His voice was thick with tears.

Prompto glanced at Gladio. They stared at each other, eyes filled with pain. Gladio squeezed his hand and looked back at Noctis.

“I once heard you say that love followed us after death,” Gladio said softly, thinking about that time on the train after Noctis had somehow brought Ignis back from the dead, and had given him the message from Lady Lunafreya.

Noctis looked at him, surprised. He didn’t remember saying that in front of Gladio.

“Yeah,” Noctis said.

“Then we’re coming with you,” Prompto said quietly. Gladio squeezed his hand. Prompto smiled at him.

“I…” Noctis didn’t know what to say.

“No matter what happens,” Prompto said, “if I die, or Gladio dies, or we both die, I know I’ll find him again because I love him.”

Gladio raised Prompto’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of his hand.

“Plus,” Prompto said suddenly, “we swore we wouldn’t abandon Ignis again.”

Ignis looked shocked. Noctis squeezed his hand. The look on Ignis’ face was priceless. Noctis could feel the surprise and distrust coming from Ignis.

Ignis didn’t know what to think. They never mentioned the fact that he had been left alone by them. And now they wanted to stick with him?

Part of him wanted to rage against them. How dare they decide to care after all this time?

Noctis squeezed his hand warningly. He could feel Ignis’ conflicting emotions roiling through the bond. Ignis took a deep breath and sat back.

“Gladio, Prompto,” he said, “I must offer you congratulations on your marriage.”

“Thank you,” Gladio said softly. 

“Sorry we didn’t tell you,” Prompto said.

Ignis twitched. It might have been a nod.

They sat in silence again, the only sound the crackling fire.

Noctis stared at the fire, tears burning in his eyes. They weren’t going to leave him. It would be the four of them, together until the end.

“I, uhm…”

“Out with it,” Gladio finally said. Prompto shot him a look. He was still trying not to think about the fact that Noctis was going to his death. He didn’t want Noctis to die, and he knew that Gladio didn’t want it either. It was so unfair.

They had only just gotten Noctis back, and now he was walking to his death.

“I just…damn it, why the hell is this so hard?” Noctis whispered. He wished they had had the last ten years together. He wished they had the future to look forward to. 

“I’ve made my peace,” Noctis said after a moment of silence. “Still, knowing this is it…and seeing you here now…” his eyes moved from man to man. Ignis, sitting stoically beside him, their fingers still laced together. Prompto, leaning against Gladio. Married. They could have the future together, live happily in the sun, and they were staying beside him. “It’s…more than I can take.”

Noct’s chin wobbled. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, catching in his beard. 

Prompto sniffed. “Yeah, you’re damn right it is.”

Gladio stared into the fire, tears rolling down his own cheeks. Gladio leaned back, thinking of his time with Noctis. He remembered the withdrawn, quiet boy after the Marilith attack. He remembered the prince who he thought would never be good enough to be king. He remembered how Noctis had never wanted to talk about his emotions.

“Huh, you spit it out.” He tried to keep the tears out of his voice. He failed.

Ignis shifted, Noct’s hand still in his.

“Well,” Noctis said, looking at them, “what can I say?” His eyes dropped, and when he lifted them, they were swimming with tears. “I love you all.”

FFXV

Prompto and Gladio had gone to bed, curling around each other in the tent, holding each other and crying softly.

Noctis sat beside Ignis. It reminded him of that long ago camp in Cartanica.

“You should sleep,” Ignis said.

“What about you?” Noctis asked softly, stroking Ignis’ arm.

“I don’t need much sleep anymore,” Ignis said, leaning back. It was true. Ever since he had started drinking the Darkness, the Starscourge from daemons, he had needed less sleep.

Noctis stared at him, standing up. He ran his fingers through Ignis’ hair. Ignis sat still beneath his hands.

“I could sit out here with you,” Noctis whispered.

“I can take the watch, Noctis,” Ignis said softly, “you need rest before we reach the city.”

Noctis frowned. He half felt like Ignis was pushing him away. The closer they got to the city, the more conflicted Ignis felt. He pulled Ignis against him. Ignis sighed, his head resting against Noct’s stomach. Noctis kept petting his hair.

Ignis closed his eye, breathing in Noct’s scent. He shuddered against Noctis.

Gods, he had missed this. He had missed having someone to hold him, touch him. He had missed Noctis.

“Noctis…” Ignis whispered. Noct’s arms tightened around him.

“I love you, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, pressing his lips against Ignis’ hair. 

“I love you…” Ignis whispered, his voice nearly inaudible.

“If you need me, wake me up. You’re not alone anymore, Ignis.”

Ignis nodded against his stomach. Noctis kissed his forehead and stepped back, his eyes locked on Ignis as he slipped through the tent flap.

He glanced at Prompto, sprawled across Gladio’s chest. They were both sleeping. He could see tear tracks reflecting in the dim light of the tent.

He took off his boots and slipped into his sleeping bag. He stared at the roof of the tent, wondering what the next day would bring.

He wasn’t sure if the dread he was feeling was his or Ignis’.

Ignis sat alone as the others slept, Ardyn’s voice whispering in his ear.

FFXV

They had broken camp after Noctis, Gladio, and Prompto had gotten a few hours of sleep. Ignis had sat by the fire the entire time, trying to ignore the daemons moving in the dark.

They walked slowly through the blockade, heading for the bridge leading into the city. Gladio had trouble tearing his eyes away from Ignis.

A change had been settling over Ignis the closer they got to the city. He had noticed the day before that the closer they got to the city, the more…predatory Ignis seemed to become. 

He hadn’t thought much on it, especially after Noctis had told them about the cost of the dawn. He noticed it again the moment they had left the camp; the way Ignis stalked silently through the night. 

Noctis met his eyes as they reached the bridge. Gladio thought he had noticed it too.

“This is it,” Prompto said, staring up at the bridge. He thought of the last time they had been here, leaving the city. They had been so happy, so carefree, and then…

He turned, looking at Noctis. Noctis smiled sadly at him.

Ignis moved easily through the cars that littered the bridge. Many were burnt out shells, some with bodies still in them.

Prompto stopped, staring up at the suspension cables.

“Oh gods, Gladio, there’re people hanging up there!” Prompto whispered.

Gladio and Noctis stopped, staring up in horror. Prompto was right, there were people hanging from the cables. Their hands were bound above their heads. They were naked, filth staining their legs.

“Why…who did this?” Noctis asked, his voice shocked.

Ignis bowed his head. He knew. Skaeling and his group of followers had been the ones to start this little tradition. He shook his head slightly, dislodging the thought.

“The people of the city,” Ignis said. The other three looked at him. Ignis turned and kept walking slowly. Most of the victims hanging from the cables were already dead. Ignis hoped the others didn’t notice the ones who were still alive. They were sure to do something stupid.

The other three followed him nervously. Prompto had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the poor people. It was terrible. How had they not known this was happening?

He nearly wet himself when he saw one of them move.

“Oh my gods, that man is still alive!” Prompto cried. The others stopped, staring up at the man. 

He was moaning, crying out for them to help him.

Prompto started moving towards the cable suspending him. “We can’t leave him,” Prompto said.

Ignis cursed and spun, grabbing Prompto by the back of his jacket and yanking him back. Prompto yelped and fell against Ignis, Ignis’ arm around his neck. Gladio stepped forward, ready to tear Prompto from Ignis’ arms by force if necessary.

“There is nothing you can do for him,” Ignis said in Prompto’s ear.

Prompto struggled to free himself. Ignis’ arms tightened around his neck.

“We can’t leave him,” Prompto repeated.

“It is a trap,” Ignis snarled.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Noctis asked, putting a hand on Gladio’s arm, staying the big man’s forward progress.

Ignis’ lip curled in a silent snarl. He shoved Prompto into Gladio’s arms and turned, his dagger appearing in his hand.

Noctis realized what he was about to do the moment before he did it, and he couldn’t stop it.

Ignis threw the dagger through the air. It flew with uncanny precision and impaled the hanging man in the throat. The man gurgled, blood welling in his throat.

Prompto screamed, Gladio’s eyes widened in shock, and Noctis spun to face Ignis.

Ignis had just murdered a man in cold blood. Noctis felt nothing through the bond. Ignis was shielding his emotions hard.

“What the fuck, Ignis?” Gladio yelled, holding Prompto against him.

Ignis tilted his head. “Three, two, one…”

The man’s body exploded, a mist of blood and viscera raining down around them.

They went silent, staring at Ignis in shock.

“A trap,” Ignis said again, “and a warning for those foolish enough to enter the city, for those with an unfortunate propensity for having hero complexes.”

“Are…are they all rigged like that?” Noctis asked, his voice soft with horror.

Ignis nodded sharply.

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Prompto whispered.

Ignis snorted. “Of course, if you want to alert every daemon and human in the city that fresh meat is coming in.”

“Won’t they notice the detonation you just set off?” Gladio asked coldly.

Ignis shrugged. “There are misfires all the time. One will not draw attention. Putting every one of those still living out of their misery will.”

Noctis swallowed, looking up at the other bodies hanging on the bridge. The ones that had been closest to the one that had exploded (the one that Ignis had killed) swayed from the force of the blast. 

Ignis shook his head. “Decide amongst yourselves. I will wait for you at the end of the bridge.”

He spun and stalked off through the cars. He tried to clamp down on the feeling of joy that had surged in him when his dagger sank into that man’s throat. He didn’t want Noctis to feel it.

He had missed Insomnia, he realized with something like horror. He had missed killing. 

He staggered and collapsed against a car, covering his mouth. Oh gods, he had missed it. 

He never should’ve come back to the city. He could feel the Darkness calling to him. He could hear Ardyn whispering his name.

Gladio’s arms tightened around Prompto as he watched Ignis walk off across the bridge. Prompto sniffed, looping his arm around Gladio’s waist. Gladio couldn’t get the look on Ignis’ face as he threw the dagger out of his head. Ignis had murdered that man!

“He saved my life,” Prompto said, snapping Gladio out of his thoughts.

“What?” Gladio asked. Prompto craned his neck and looked up at his husband.

“I would’ve charged right up there and tried to cut the man loose,” Prompto said, “and if I had, I’d be scattered across this bridge just like that poor man. Ignis saved me.”

“Huh, I guess you’re right,” Gladio said.

“He could’ve just told us,” Noctis said softly, his eyes locked on Ignis’ still form at the end of the bridge.

“Yeah, he could’ve,” Prompto said, “but would we have listened?”

“I don’t know,” Gladio said.

“Ignis knows _this_ Insomnia,” Prompto said, “we don’t. I think we should listen to him.”

Noctis looked up at the bodies again. These were his people, his responsibility. How could he just leave them hanging there? How had Eos come to this? Was this what the gods wanted?

“As much as I hate to admit it, Ignis is right,” Gladio said, “We can’t risk whoever lives in the city knowing we’re coming. We’re going to have enough problems with the daemons, if we can avoid these tribes of people, the better.”

Noctis closed his eyes and nodded. He hated it. He hated that Ignis hadn’t even thought twice about killing that man.

“Let’s keep moving,” Noctis said, his voice pained. He hated this. He hated leaving those people hanging there.

The three men walked slowly through the cars, staring fixedly at the ground and doing their best to ignore the calls of those poor bastards who were still alive.

Some asked for death, others begged for help.

They could do nothing.

Ignis lifted his head as their footsteps grew closer to him. He had himself under control, finally.

“We’re ready,” Prompto said.

Ignis nodded and turned, leading them towards the gate. Noctis kept staring at Ignis, his gut twisting.

That weird feeling about the bond came back. He couldn’t pin it down, but there was something strange about the magic bond to Ignis. 

He swallowed, shoving his memories of that dream away, shoving the image of Ignis’ dagger slicing through the air and slamming into the man’s throat away.

He trusted Ignis, he loved Ignis.

He pushed open the gate and they stepped through.

Noctis stopped and took a deep breath. Ignis stood to his right, Gladio and Prompto to his left.

“This is it,” Prompto said, looking around.

“Next stop, the Citadel,” Gladio said.

Noctis glanced at them, then over at Ignis. He looked forward, his heart heavy.

“Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I'm kinda meh about it, honestly. Looking forward to the next chapter, or the plunge on this emotional rollercoaster. Tell me what you think!


	36. The Monster Reveals Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Skaeling breaks free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We draw ever nearer to the end, and yes, I like drawing this torture out. If you hadn't guessed from the title of this chapter, things aren't going to go well for anyone in this chapter. I believe we're down to five chapters or less before the end of this story. Holy hell, right?  
> Sorry this chapter took so long, school has been crazy these past two weeks, but now I only have one final to go and I graduate on Saturday, so yay?  
> Please please pretty please tell me what you think of this chapter!
> 
> Kudos and Comments are love
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine

I am done pretending  
You have failed to find what's left  
I will suck you dry again  
Some are not worth saving  
You are such a pretty mess  
I will choke the life within  
-'Lights Out'- Breaking Benjamin

Now-The Monster Reveals Himself

Noctis was horrified at the extent of the damage to his home city. Bones, debris, and death littered the streets. Store fronts were destroyed, cars were simply burnt out shells, and no light came from anywhere.

Then there were the daemons. 

They were unrelenting, attacking from the shadows. They hardly had any warning; they’d be walking and then suddenly they’d be surrounded by goblins and nagas and other creatures that Noctis didn’t have names for.

They had barely been in the city proper for an hour and it felt like they had hardly made any progress. They were exhausted.

Noctis watched Ignis. Unlike the others, Ignis nearly had a spring in his step as he cut through the daemons. Ignis didn’t seem tired at all; he seemed revitalized somehow.

It terrified Noctis. When Ignis had killed that man on the bridge, he thought he had felt a brief flash of savage joy through the bond. He wasn’t sure, though. The flash of emotion had been so brief, so intense, that Noctis had no idea what it really meant.

His eyes met Gladio’s. Gladio looked haunted as he watched Ignis fight through the city. Noctis wondered if Gladio knew something. Gladio wondered how he could tell Noctis what Cor had told him.

“At this rate it’s going to take hours to reach the palace,” Prompto groaned, flopping to the ground after another battle with daemons.

Gladio knelt down next to him, handing him a water bottle. Prompto smiled tiredly at him, taking in his husband’s scarred visage. Gods, he loved that man. Gladio ran his fingers lightly over Prompto’s cheek, a soft smile on his face.

Noctis watched them for a moment and then turned, giving them a semblance of privacy. His gut twisted as he looked at Ignis, standing off by himself, seemingly staring into the distance. He wished he could have the easy relationship with Ignis that they’d had in the past. He wished he could have what Gladio and Prompto had had over the past ten years.

He couldn’t tear his eyes from Ignis. His mind drifted back to their early life together; Ignis was always there, there to catch him when he fell, lift him when he couldn’t get up, lend an ear, a shoulder, anything. He remembered when Ignis nearly died after that cockatrice attack. 

That had actually been the first time Noctis had kissed Ignis. He never told Ignis that. Ignis had been delirious with fever, wounds leaking pus and hot to the touch. Cor had told him that Ignis might not make it. Noctis had sat with him, caressing his cheek. He had leaned over and kissed Ignis’ fever dry lips.

He thought about the trip after that, when Gladio came back from whatever he had done. He thought about Altissia, and waking up after Luna had died to find Ignis a shell of himself. 

He remembered going back in time thanks to Umbra and Gentiana. He remembered making love to Ignis, how gentle and loving it had been, the urgency of the kisses, the burn of Ignis pushing inside him for the first time. 

He blinked back tears as he remembered going back to the train after Altissia, and everything that had happened after that. He closed his eyes briefly, thinking about binding Gladio to him, and then everything on the train.

He remembered the horror of when Ignis had killed himself right in front of them. He remembered the terror of Gralea, the brief moment of desperate sex with Ignis in the meeting room, and then the Crystal.

He couldn’t shake the image of Ignis killing that man.

He looked back at Ignis, still standing off to the side, head tilted like he was listening for something. He walked slowly up to Ignis, making sure his footsteps were loud enough for Ignis to hear him.

Ignis turned slightly, like he was peering at Noctis. 

“Was it this bad when you were here?” Noctis asked softly.

Ignis tilted his head. “There seem to be more daemons. However, I didn’t come this far out from the Citadel until I left.”

Noctis nodded. “We need to find a spot to rest if we can. I didn’t realize it was going to be this bad…and the others never gave any clue that it would be.”

Ignis snorted softly. “No one else came to the city these past ten years, only me. If hunters were sent in, I doubt they made it out.”

Noctis sighed. Better intelligence about the city would’ve been nice. He looked at Ignis again. He turned as Gladio and Prompto walked up to them.

“What’s next?” Gladio asked, his arm over Prompto’s shoulder.

“I’m exhausted,” Prompto said.

Ignis faced them. “There are safe rooms throughout the city. Agreed upon neutral territory that the tribes do not infringe upon. They are warded so daemons cannot enter as well.”

Ignis knew them well. He had set most of them up as Skaeling. Even Skaeling had needed somewhere safe to rest when he couldn’t make it back to the palace and Ardyn. The tribes of humans didn’t attack anyone staying in the safe rooms after Skaeling had demonstrated what happened to those who broke that rule.

It hadn’t been pretty.

“Interesting,” Gladio said, “those could come in handy.”

“They certainly do,” Ignis said.

“Can we find them?” Noctis asked.

“It won’t be difficult,” Ignis said. He knew right where he was. He just didn’t feel like he could tell them that. He didn’t know how to explain it to them without giving himself away.

“I could do with a rest,” Gladio said, eyes scanning the dark city.

“Then we’ll head for a safe room,” Ignis said, walking away. The others scrambled to keep up.

FFXV

It was more difficult than Ignis anticipated.

A never ending stream of daemons poured from the city, blocking every attempt they made to get closer to the city.

It didn’t take long for MTs to show up and start shooting at them as well.

Ignis could’ve taken control of the MTs and set them against the daemons, but he was afraid. He was afraid of what Noctis would do, would think.

He was afraid to lose Noct’s love, his trust.

He knew he was going to lose it. He could feel Darkness wrapping around his neck like a noose.

Time was short, for all of them.

He could hear the others stumbling and dragging. They were exhausted and flagging fast. 

Ignis felt guilty at how revitalized he felt. He had been—discreetly—drinking minimal amounts of the Darkness from the daemons. Never enough for the others to notice, but enough for Ignis to feel stronger.

His guilt ate at him. He kept the shields up in the bond between him and Noctis. He was terrified of what Noctis could feel.

There was also the growing pit of Darkness not too far from them. Something was waiting for them. Ardyn had something planned.

It was worrying.

Noctis groaned, cutting down another daemon. Where were they all coming from? He hated thinking about the fact that these daemons had once been crown citizens. He couldn’t think about it. 

He just hoped they found peace in the afterlife.

They rounded a corner to an open area. It had once been a major cross street. Ignis froze, the others stopping too.

There was a daemon waiting for them.

“What is that?” Prompto asked, his mouth hanging open.

Noctis glanced at him. “I was hoping you guys would know.”

Gladio snorted. “Never seen anything like it.”

“You guys have been hunting daemons for ten years and you have no clue?” Noctis asked.

Gladio glared at him, softening it with a crooked smile. “I’m sure there’s a lot we didn’t run into.”

It was huge. It reminded Noctis of the Jabberwock they had fought deep inside Costlemark all those years ago. But if this thing had started out as a Jabberwock, it wasn’t one now. It had massive wings, horns, claws. Black saliva dripped from its mouth, fangs glistening with what Gladio hoped was spit.

It could’ve also been Dead-eye’s bigger, uglier cousin.

“There’s a safe room not too far ahead,” Ignis said.

“Great. Past the big ugly daemon, you mean,” Gladio said.

Ignis shrugged. There was no way around it. 

Prompto groaned and summoned his guns. “Well, shall we?”

“Let’s do this,” Noctis replied, summoning a sword. Gladio called his Greatsword and Ignis summoned his daggers with a flick of his wrist.

His heart was in his throat. He knew why this daemon was here. Ardyn had sent it.

Noctis warped in, his blade glancing off the thing’s armor. The others rushed in, bullets ricocheting off the thing, Gladio’s Greatsword not even making a scratch.

Prompto yelped as the thing nearly stepped on him. Ignis grabbed him and tossed him aside. 

“Thanks!” Prompto shouted, leaping to his feet and jumping back into the fray. Ignis tossed his daggers at the daemon, knowing they wouldn’t do anything.

There would only be one way to defeat this daemon. 

“Ignis, instructions!” Noctis yelled, warping out as the daemon caught him on its horns and tossed him through the air.

“We must regroup!” Ignis yelled.

“Gotcha!” Gladio said, grabbing Prompto by the arm and dragging him back. Noctis spun and warped closer to them, collapsing at Ignis’ feet. He was so tired. 

Ignis grabbed his arm and hauled him backwards. 

“Our weapons aren’t even touching this thing,” Gladio panted, “even the Light infused ones.”

“I know,” Noctis said, squeezing Ignis’ arm as he stood up. “We have to get past it somehow.”

“Are the gods feeling particularly helpful?” Prompto asked hopefully. “Any one of them feel like being summoned right about now?”

Noctis smiled wryly. “Unfortunately not.”

“Damn,” Prompto said, snapping his fingers.

Ignis bowed his head, his fists clenched. He took a deep breath and lifted his head. He began peeling off his gloves, one finger at a time. It would be easier to do what he needed to do with bare hands.

“Ignis, what are you doing?” Gladio asked, staring at the blind man. Ignis looked angry about something, but more than that, he looked resigned.

“Noctis…Majesty, hold these, please,” Ignis said, holding his gloves out to Noct. Noctis took them, frowning at Ignis.

“Ignis, what are you going to do?” Noctis asked.

Ignis didn’t respond. “I would ask…no, never mind.”

“You can ask me anything, you know that.”

Ignis took a deep breath. “I was going to say I would ask for your forgiveness, but I cannot ask for that. I do not imagine you will be able to give it,” he added almost as an afterthought. He turned his head towards Gladio. His voice changed subtly, becoming more commanding. “Gladiolus, make sure the king does not interfere with what is about to happen. I am trusting you to keep him safe. Do not let him come after me.”

“Hey, I’m right here!” Noctis said.

Gladio stared hard at Ignis. Ignis was pale, and that look of resignation made it look like Ignis was heading for his own execution.

Ignis was fairly certain he was.

“Okay,” Gladio said. There was something strange, something terrifying about the look on Ignis’ face. Gladio didn’t want to disobey him.

Ignis nodded sharply. “The three of you, stay here.”

He spun on his heel and stalked towards the daemon. 

“Ignis?” Noctis asked, clenching his gloves to his chest.

Ignis ignored him. Noctis felt a weird change settle over the bond. It almost didn’t feel like Ignis anymore. He shook his head. It didn’t feel right. What the hell was Ignis thinking? He couldn’t let Ignis take on that monster by himself!

He took a step forward, but Gladio grabbed his arm.

“Noct—” he started. Gladio wasn’t sure how to tell him about what Cor had said, but Prompto interrupted him before he could start.

“Is that a katana?” Prompto had kept watching Ignis as he walked towards the daemon. He had been shocked when a sword had materialized in Ignis’ hand.

Gladio and Noctis stopped looking at each other and turned to Ignis.

He was holding a katana. 

Gladio frowned. “Do you even have a katana in the armory?”

Noctis stared as Ignis got closer to the daemon, his heart in his throat. “The only one I have is a Royal Arm, and he wouldn’t be able to summon that…”

“Then where the hell did that come from?” Gladio asked, unable to tear his eyes away from Ignis.

Noctis swallowed hard, clutching Ignis’ gloves to his chest. It couldn’t be. No. Not that. Not _him_.

“I…”

“What the hell is that!” Prompto asked.

They watched as the katana was engulfed by black fire. They watched as it spread over Ignis’ body, flickering around him and curling into the air.

Noctis could feel nothing through the bond. He groaned. 

Ignis felt the Darkness from the daemon reach out to him. Its orders were to kill them, but leave the king. He could feel Ardyn at one end of the bond, and Noctis at the end of the other.

Ignis made sure he was shielding from both of them as he leapt into the air, his katana slicing the air before him.

“He can’t seriously think that he—” Gladio started, but he froze as Ignis’ blade sliced neatly through one of the daemon’s horns.

“How…how did he _do_ that?” Prompto whispered.

Noctis held the gloves, his heart pounding as he watched Ignis seemingly fly through the air, his katana blade slicing deep into the daemon’s armored flesh.

Ignis felt the daemon weakening, his Darkness wrapped blade easily piercing the armor. He lost himself in the fight, as he used to when he lived in the city. Darkness sang through his blood, letting him easily perceive each and every one of the daemon’s moves.

It was easier when he was fighting. He didn’t have to think about Noctis. He didn’t have to remember that Noctis was watching. He could pretend he didn’t feel Noct’s growing horror through the bond.

The daemon roared, collapsing as Ignis severed the tendons in its back legs. Ignis landed before it, stalking closer. He could feel that sweet Darkness reaching out for him, singing to him.

He wanted it, consequences be damned.

His katana disappeared as he pressed his hand against the daemon’s head. It screamed, its wails echoing off the buildings. It struggled to pull itself away from Ignis.

Even daemons feared death.

The dark flame caressing Ignis shot from him to the daemon, and the daemon’s body was fully engulfed in black fire. It danced towards Ignis, twisting and spinning to the chaotic beat of the daemon’s heart.

Ignis opened his mouth. The Darkness curled over his face, rubbing against his lips.

Noctis and the others stared.

“What the fuck?” Gladio said. What was going on? What on Eos was Ignis doing?

“No,” Noctis whispered, realization shooting through him like a Thundaga spell. “No, Ignis, not this! Ignis, NO!” he screamed as Ignis started drinking the Darkness from the daemon.

Noctis lunged forward, but Gladio just managed to catch him around the waist, holding the struggling king against his chest.

“No, no! You didn’t say he taught you that,” Noctis whispered desperately, watching as the daemon seemed to shrink before Ignis. He reached for Ignis through the bond and recoiled, tears running down his face.

He felt nothing but Darkness, twisting, beating, dancing inside the man he loved.

“Why is it getting smaller?” Prompto asked, his hand covering his mouth. The daemon was getting smaller, withering away as Ignis stole the Darkness that gave it life. 

Gladio’s arms tightened around Noct’s waist. Noctis’ knees buckled. 

Noctis closed his eyes. He couldn’t watch anymore. Gladio ran his hand gently through Noctis’ hair. He didn’t know what Ignis was doing. It reminded him of Gralea, when Ignis had taken command of those MTs. But this was so much worse.

Noctis was limp in his arms, crying Ignis’ name softly. How could he do that? How could he have let Ardyn teach him that?

Didn’t he know that Ardyn’s ability to absorb Darkness had been what had made the gods reject him?

Ignis called the katana back and beheaded the daemon with a single stroke.

He felt powerful. He had never drank down such a powerful daemon before. 

The silence was deafening. He could hear Noctis’ calling his name, and he bowed his head. 

It was done. There was no taking it back.

He knew why Ardyn had sent the daemon. He had sent one so powerful that the only way past it would be for Ignis to reveal his ability to drink Darkness. So Ignis had done it. He had done it to save Noctis.

He could feel Ardyn’s joy at the end of the bond. Noctis was hurting, so Ardyn was delighted.

Ignis pulled back from the bond as best he could. He didn’t want anything to do with Ardyn. He could almost hear Ardyn laugh at him.

Ignis turned and walked steadily back to the others. None of them said a word.

The shocked silence was answer enough. He had no trouble finding Noctis, burning with Light as Ignis was subsumed by Darkness. He reached out and took his gloves from Noctis’ hands, careful not to touch the king with his bare fingers.

“The safe room is a bit farther ahead,” Ignis said. His voice seemed unnaturally loud in the echoing silence. 

He could hear the sound of Noctis trying to catch his breath, of Prompto’s heavy breathing. He swore he could actually hear their hearts thundering away in their chests.

He turned on his heel and walked away.

Noctis, still heavy in Gladio’s arms, stared after Ignis.

“Oh, Ignis, I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Gladio and Prompto looked at each other. Gladio eased Noctis to his feet, and the three of them slowly set off after Ignis.

Gladio looked at the other man’s back as he moved unnervingly easily through the ruins of the city. He wasn’t sure what was going on, and he wished Cor was with them. He hadn’t remembered any reports of Skaeling doing what Ignis had just done. 

Maybe Cor was wrong. Maybe Ignis was just Ignis, but with that weird ability. It wasn’t like Gladio had never seen that dark flame from Ignis’ body before.

There was the time he had taken over those MTs, and when he had taken that Darkness back from them before they found Prompto.

There was the time Ignis had killed himself on the train, although Gladio couldn’t remember if the dark fire had come from Ignis that day, or if it had been something else.

Ten years was a long time.

He glanced at Noctis. The king looked pale and drawn, his eyes haunted in a way that bothered Gladio. Noctis knew more than he was letting on about whatever it was that Ignis had just done. 

Noctis blinked at him. He shook his head slightly. He had to talk to Ignis about it first.

They kept walking. Ignis never paused. Sometimes, when they looked ahead, he wasn’t there. Then, he’d suddenly be back, katana in hand, black blood dripping from the blade.

Gladio wanted to know where the hell that blade had come from. How could Ignis pull a blade from the armory that Noctis had never put in? How had he gotten so good with it? The katana had not been one of the weapons Ignis had trained with after joining the Crownsguard. He had focused mostly on daggers, especially the kukri, and polearms.

Who could’ve trained Ignis in this world of endless night? Who was that good?

Who was better than Cor?

Gladio shook his head. He had fallen behind. He jogged to catch up with Noctis and Prompto, walking silently side by side.

They continued on.

FFXV

Occasionally Ignis would feel a daemon ahead of them, and he would dart to the side and destroy it. He almost felt like he was walking through the city on a bright day. He could feel _everything_ around him.

He had never felt so powerful. He tried to ignore the two kings bonded to him; one delighted by the fact that they were getting closer, the other almost too horrified to look at Ignis. 

The going was still slow, even with him being able to intercept most of the daemons. They had nearly reached the safe room when Gladio yelled.

Gladio had been walking just behind his husband and the king. He stepped around a bit of debris and something snapped shut around his ankle.

He went down with a yell. Prompto and Noctis were by his side immediately.

“Is that a trap?” Noctis asked, dropping to his knees next to Gladio. 

“It fucking hurts,” Gladio hissed.

“Don’t touch it,” Ignis said, appearing behind Noctis. Noctis turned his head, staring as Ignis lowered himself in front of Gladio.

He ran his fingers over the thing holding Gladio. It was an old Coeurl trap, much like the ones they had once disarmed.

Gladio watched as Ignis ran his hands over the trap. He was very glad he was wearing the thick Kingsglaive boots. He didn’t think his skin had been broken, but he was going to have one hell of a bruise.

How in the hell had he missed the trap?

“Aha,” Ignis said, fingers touching hidden latches on either side of the trap. It sprung open, and Prompto and Noctis dragged Gladio back.

Ignis let the trap snap close.

Noctis pulled a potion out and handed it Gladio. He took it and cracked it, sighing as the healing mist settled over him.

“Better?” Noctis asked.

“Yeah, thanks. Who the hell put this here?” Gladio snapped, rolling his ankle in his boots and trying to work out the kinks.

“Who do you think?” Ignis asked, slowly standing up. He held his hand out to Gladio. Gladio stared it, swallowing. He slowly reached out and grasped Ignis’ hand. Ignis pulled him to his feet.

“This sucks,” Prompto said, touching Gladio’s arm. Gladio managed to smile at him.

Noctis stared into the distance. This was his city, his home. These were his people.

Gladio looked around. “That safe room nearby?”

“Yes,” Ignis said, “less than a quarter mile away.”

“Thank the gods,” Prompto said.

“Well, looks like someone finally stumbled into our territory,” a voice said. The four men turned. Ignis stood behind the others. That voice sounded familiar…

“The big one’s mine,” another voice said. Prompto stepped closer to Gladio, summoning his guns.

“He’ll feed the tribe for a week by himself,” that first voice said.

“What the hell?” Gladio asked.

“Shut it,” another said, “you’re on our territory now, outlanders.”

“Idiots, thinking they can just come in from outside the city and go through our streets. Skaeling doesn’t like outsiders.”

Ignis’ eye narrowed, his fists clenched. Gladio started at Skaeling’s name.

“Is Skaeling here?” Gladio asked.

“I’m Skaeling,” the first voice said, and Ignis finally placed it. 

Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio were so focused on the men in front of them (more were joining them) that they didn’t notice Ignis slip his visor off.

Gladio stared at the man. He was nothing like the description Cor had given him. He had a feeling the man had just taken Skaeling’s name to thrive on the terror the name spread.

The man who called himself Skaeling smirked at the men before him. Idiots, thinking they could come into his city and walk through without a care. The big man would feed his tribe for a week. They were starving. It seemed like there were more daemons than humans lately, and daemons weren’t good eating.

The man to his left noticed the fourth outsider, standing silently behind the three others. He froze, his heart suddenly beating wildly in his chest.

The fourth man stood there, his head tilted to the side. There was a scar over his left eye, and his right eye swam with Darkness. He had a nasty smile on his face.

“Oh, shit,” one of the tribe whispered.

“What?” Not-Skaeling asked, frowning at his companion. “Roan, what is it?”

Roan hit his knees, eyes locked on the man behind Gladio. “My lord, you’ve returned.”

Noctis frowned, thinking at first that the man was talking to him.

“I don’t think he’s talking about you, Noct,” Prompto whispered, his eyes following Roan’s line of sight. 

Ignis stood perfectly still. He had put his visor back on as soon as Roan had recognized him. 

Noctis turned, staring at Ignis. He could feel a cold rage coming from the man, and it terrified him more than Ignis’ display with the daemon earlier. 

Ignis lifted his head, and Noct was struck by the look on his face. It was absolute arrogance, the kind that said ‘I am more powerful than you and you would do well to kiss my boots as I walk.’

“Hello, Jordan,” Ignis said, his voice low and dangerous.

Jordan, the man who had called himself Skaeling, fell to his knees beside Roan. “My lord!” he choked out, fear suddenly raging through his body. He wet himself as Ignis slowly stepped forward, pushing Noctis out of the way.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked.

Ignis ignored him.

“Ignis isn’t here right now,” Prompto whispered, “but if you’d like to leave a message, please leave your name and number after the beep. Beep.”

Gladio frowned at Prompto. Prompto looked pale, far worse than Gladio had seen him in years.

“You were supposed to leave,” Ignis said, each step measured. The others with Jordan knelt as well, staring at the man before them. Ignis could feel the flickering Darkness in each of them. 

Fifteen strong.

Jordan raised his eyes. “I thought about it, my lord.”

Noctis traded confused looks with Gladio and Prompto. Why in the hell were these people calling Ignis ‘lord’? Sure, he had been a count and held a mostly worthless title, but why would these people address Ignis like that?

Gladio swallowed. He stared at the people kneeling before Ignis. They were terrified of Ignis, that much was clear. More than one had soiled themselves as he had walked closer.

Ignis stopped right before Jordan, reaching out and cupping his jaw. Jordan trembled, blinking back tears.

“You called yourself Skaeling,” Ignis whispered, his thumb tracing Jordan’s sunken cheeks.

“It was the only way to survive,” Jordan said, “you were gone, and it meant that someone could step in and take over, rule this city.”

Ignis felt the hard knot of rage tighten in his chest. How dare the man?

Gladio’s eyes narrowed at Jordan’s words. ‘You were gone,’ he had said. His stomach tightened. Oh no.

“Ignis?” Gladio asked. Ignis made an impatient motion at him. He had no time to deal with them. He had to deal with these traitors first.

“Did you go to the palace?” Ignis asked, “did you go to him?”

“No, my lord, we left offerings but—”

“Silence,” Ignis hissed, his hand tightening around Jordan’s jaw. “You could have left, you could have made something of yourself outside of this cesspool of Darkness, and you didn’t. Why?”

Jordan closed his eyes and then opened them. “I wanted power.”

“Of course you did,” Ignis sneered. Noctis was shocked at the tone in Ignis’ voice. What in the hell was going on? “And tell me, when did you decide to start eating human flesh? Because that was one of Skaeling’s rules, was it not? The partaking of human flesh was forbidden!”

“We had no food! What were we supposed to do? We had no one to protect us so we took what we needed!”

“Fool,” Ignis said softly. 

“Please, my lord, we will gladly follow you now that you are back. Everything I did I did for you,” Jordan whispered. “I implore you, we will do whatever you ask.”

Ignis bared his teeth, and with his free hand slipped his visor down just enough for Jordan to see his right eye, covered with Darkness.

“Tell me you didn’t just beg,” Ignis said.

Jordan’s eyes widened. “My lord, please, I worked for you, I did everything you asked of me!”

“And I told you that no one must ever know, didn’t I?” Ignis asked, almost conversationally. Noctis stepped forward. Gladio pulled him back, shaking his head. His heart pounded in his chest.

“Please…” Jordan whimpered.

“I despise beggars,” Ignis said. Begging had never done him any good. 

He could feel the Darkness within him roiling, twisting and dancing with glee. He never should’ve come back to the city. He was losing his grip on who he was. Between the two bonds to two different kings, his past staring him in the face, and the taste of Darkness from that daemon still on his tongue, Skaeling was fighting his way to the surface.

Ignis paused, his thumb still tracing Jordan’s cheeks. He could feel Noctis in the bond, even through the shields he had erected between them.

Noctis didn’t trust him. Noctis didn’t trust what was happening.

Noctis hadn’t trusted him since Ignis had killed that man on the bridge.

Ignis closed his eye. Too late, he thought, I can’t go back.

Noctis felt a wave of despair from Ignis before Ignis shut down the bond between them again.

Jordan was still talking, Ignis realized distantly. Still begging for his life.

Ignis gave up the fight. Let Skaeling have his fun, he thought. He was damned no matter what, and he had almost missed Skaeling.

Skaeling hated people who begged for their lives. They should face their deaths with dignity. 

His katana appeared in his hand and he shoved it up through Jordan’s jaw, the blade erupting out the top of his skull.

Prompto screamed and fell back against Gladio. Noctis covered his mouth in horror. Gladio stared in shock.

“You should’ve left,” Skaeling said, his head tilted to the side. Jordan slid off the blade, body crumpling in a heap at his feet.

Roan screamed and leapt to his feet, drawing his weapon. The thirteen others followed suit, leaping towards Skaeling.

Noctis couldn’t move. His brain refused to believe what his eyes were seeing.

There was no way Ignis was cutting through crown citizens, teeth bared in a ferocious smile. There was no way Darkness wrapped around him like an old lover, cradling his form as his katana separated limbs from bodies.

He tried to reach Ignis through their bond and nearly vomited. There was nothing but Darkness there.

Time seemed to stand still as Ignis finally went still, breathing hard. He was well covered in blood, his face streaked with red that looked black in the darkness.

Fifteen people dead, their blood hot on his skin. He sent the katana away with a snap of his wrist.

He could hear Ardyn’s laughter. Oh, how delighted he was. Everything was going perfectly for Ardyn. 

“What the fuck, Ignis?” Gladio said after a moment of shocked silence.

Ignis kicked one of the bodies out of the way as he turned, his face set in stone. “Not here,” he snapped.

“Yes, here!” Gladio bellowed.

“Will you _shut up_?” Ignis snarled. “Do you want to bring more down upon us?”

“Wouldn’t you just slaughter them like you did those people?” Gladio said.

“Yes, yes I would,” Ignis said flatly. “So by all means, keep yelling.”

Noctis was having a hard time making his brain work. There was no way this man was his Ignis. Ignis would never do those horrible things. Ignis would never wantonly murder fifteen people.

Gladio stared at Ignis in shock. Prompto shook. This Ignis…this Ignis was the one that had tortured him, sliced him, taunted him.

“So it’s true, what Cor said,” Gladio whispered. “You are Skaeling.”

Ignis spread his arms and gave them a mocking bow. “I knew I should’ve killed Cor when I had the chance.”

Gladio stared at him. He couldn’t believe Ignis would say that.

“Cor is our friend,” Prompto said.

“HE IS NO FRIEND OF MINE!” Ignis yelled. “None of you—you have no idea what true loneliness means. You have no idea what it’s like to pray for death to have it denied to you EVERY DAY! When the only way to survive is to give in, to accept that nothing will ever be right with the world again. That Darkness and blindness are the only two constants in life. That hate and violence and Darkness beat back love and Light.”

The others stood silent, staring at Ignis. Ignis stood before them, quivering with rage. Noctis could feel nothing from him.

“Ignis…” Noctis said softly. “What have you done?”

Ignis stood back up, that haughty, arrogant look back on his face like a mask. It was like a switch being thrown in him. “I have done what I had to. I have done what was necessary for me to survive alone.”

No one moved. Ignis took a shuddering breath and spun on his heel. “The safe room is close,” he said flatly, no emotion in his voice. He started walking. The others looked at him, then at each other.

“What do we do?” Prompto whispered. Gladio pulled him against his chest, dropping a quick kiss on Prompto’s head. It was as much for Prompto as it was for him.

Noctis angrily wiped his eyes. He had to get to the bottom of this.

“Who is Skaeling, besides a children’s story?” Noctis asked. No one had said anything about Skaeling when they had debriefed him.

“They called him the Monster of Insomnia,” Gladio said softly, eyes closed. “Reports we got were about a man who stalked through the night, killing anyone who got in his way, daemons followed him like servants. Reports stopped after Ignis came back. Cor…Cor always suspected Ignis. I didn’t want to believe it.”

“Are the three of you waiting for an invitation? Or perhaps you are broadcasting an invitation to daemons and humans alike?” Ignis asked, stalking back. “If you want to stand around, at least do it in the safe room.”

“Of course,” Prompto squeaked. Ignis’ lip curled, but he spun and started walking again. 

The others followed silently. Noctis’ eyes burned.

He had to find out exactly what Ardyn had taught Ignis. He had to find out how far Ignis had fallen.

He had to save Ignis.

Noctis knew he was going to his death, and the only thought that sustained him was the fact that one day Ignis would join him.

He was afraid now that Ignis would be denied death as Ardyn had.

He wrapped his arms around himself.

It couldn’t be possible.

It just couldn’t be. 

FFXV

Prompto and Gladio sat huddled together on one of the small beds in the safe room. Noctis sat on another, his head cradled in his hands.

Ignis leaned against the wall, his visor securely over his eyes and his head back against the wall.

Noctis glanced up at him. His eyes traveled over Ignis’ face, still spattered with blood from the people he had killed.

The people he had slaughtered.

“How long?” Noctis asked. “How long have you been able to do that to daemons?”

Ignis tilted his head. “The first time was in Gralea,” he said softly, “right after we found Prompto. _He_ showed me how to do it. It was the only thing that eased the pain.”

Noctis closed his eyes. That had been right before they had had desperate sex in the meeting room. He remembered thinking that Ignis had finally seemed to be pain free.

Ardyn had been planning this a long time.

“How many people have you killed?” Gladio asked.

Ignis shrugged. “I stopped counting years ago.”

His voice had no emotion in it. He could feel their horror.

Ignis mourned the loss of them. Skaeling delighted in their fear. 

Noctis stood up. He couldn’t tell if Ignis was telling the truth. He needed to know. He needed to know what, and how, the man he loved had been twisted so foully into a monster.

“Ignis…drop the shields between us,” Noctis said, standing just before Ignis.

Ignis stood up straight, his heart pounding. No. No he would not do that. He would not sully the King of Light with his Darkness.

“Forgive me, your majesty, but I will not.”

Noctis reached up and slipped the visor off Ignis’ face. Ignis sucked in a startled breath and leapt back, his back slamming into the wall. His right eye was firmly closed.

“Ignis, please don’t make me order you,” Noctis whispered.

Ignis snorted, his heart pounding in his chest. He should’ve run after they had made love in Hammerhead. He should’ve known that that had only been the calm before the storm.

How could Noctis look at him after what he had done?

“Even if you order me, I will not drop those shields between us.”

The visor slipped from Noct’s fingers, hitting the floor and cracking. Ignis flinched slightly.

Gladio and Prompto watched silently. There was nothing they could do. This was not between them. 

“Ignis…” Noctis whispered, raising his hand. He could feel the bond, and the shields between them. It reminded him almost of the wall that had once surrounded Lucis.

His right hand clenched in front of Ignis’ unseeing face, fingers grasping the air.

The shields almost felt tangible for a moment.

He was the master of the bond between them, and he reached into it and tore the shields down all at once.

Ignis screamed, collapsing as his shields shattered.

Darkness rose from him, slapping Noctis back and pinning him against the wall. Noctis struggled, the Ring of the Lucii flashing a brilliant white, the Darkness curling back into Ignis.

Noctis wept. He felt Ignis’ self-loathing, resignation, fear, loneliness…he felt Ignis’ love for him, a small ball of Light deep within him. He couldn’t get past the level of hatred Ignis felt for himself.

Ignis hated what he had become. Ignis loved what he had become. He hated himself more than he hated Ardyn.

Ignis struggled to his knees, his body shaking. He felt weak, tremors rolling through his body.

He hurt in ways he hadn’t hurt since Gralea, but there was one thought that wouldn’t leave him.

Noctis had violated him.

“Ignis…” Noctis whispered again, reaching his hand out.

Ignis lifted his head, not bothering to hide his eye.

Noctis and the others gasped. Ignis’ right eye was consumed by Darkness. They could see veins pulsing under his skin, Darkness thrumming through his body. He levered himself to his knees, his hand on the wall the behind him to steady himself.

“Ignis, I’m so sorry,” Noctis said, going to help Ignis to his feet.

Ignis recoiled away from him. Noct could feel his fear beating through the bond. The shields were gone, and Noctis could feel everything.

Ignis was afraid of him. Noctis wanted to hold him, to apologize, to take it back.

He couldn’t.

Ignis blinked slowly, black tinged tears sliding from his right eye. He was having a hard time catching his breath.

Gods, he hurt.

Ignis shuddered, finally pulling himself to his feet. He leaned against the door.

“It seems it is my lot in life to be raped in one way or another by kings of Lucis,” Ignis whispered.

Noctis reared back like Ignis’ words had physically struck him. Gladio and Prompto looked on, eyes wide with horror at Ignis’ words.

“Ignis!” Noctis said, his voice laced with pain.

Ignis turned and bolted out the door.

It snapped shut behind him with a ringing finality, leaving Noctis standing in the middle of the safe room, tears running down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop me a line and tell me how much you hate my torture of these poor boys.


	37. The Monster and the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ignis' soul is a battleground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, gads, sorry about the delay! I graduated from college, which is weird.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter kicked my ass. It was hard trying to figure out what to do after Ignis' bombshell statement in the last chapter. I hope this satisfies. Things are quickly coming to an end.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

When I get angry, I feel weak  
And hear these voices in my head  
Telling me to fall beneath  
Cause they'll make everything okay  
How did I get here?  
Everything's unclear  
I never meant to cause you pain  
Give me a reason I can believe in  
I need it all this time  
Send me a lifeline-  
-'Lifeline' Thousand Foot Krutch

Now- The Monster and the King

Ignis ran. At least he thought he ran. Every step drove pain through his body. It felt like his skin was splitting apart, like something was trying to tear its way out of his body. 

Maybe something was trying to tear itself free.

His breath came in rapid gasps. He hurt so much.

Noctis…Noctis had violated him, had torn down his shields and raped his mind, tearing secret things from him.

He tripped, hitting the ground with a cry. He felt the knee of his pants rip, skin splitting open. He curled into a ball.

He wished for death.

 _I warned you,_ Ardyn’s voice whispered through his head.

He cried out again.

No, Ardyn couldn’t have been right. He didn’t want to believe it. 

_Poor, Ignis. Come home to me. I know what it is like to have the one you love above all others turn against you. Come home._

Ignis pressed his hands over his ears, screaming.

No. Ardyn wasn’t ‘home’. 

He heard Ardyn laugh, and then nothing.

He felt a clawed hand touch his hair. He stilled, strangling his scream. He could feel the Darkness of a daemon right next to him.

He could reach out, drink it down, run through the city—

No. It wasn’t worth it. Nothing was worth it.

Maybe the daemon would tear his throat out, ending his misery.

The daemon (he thought it was a goblin) stroked his hair, crooning at him.

He bit back a hysterical laugh. What had he come to that the only creature offering him comfort was a fucking daemon?

The daemon pulled Ignis’ body into its bony arms and rocked back and forth.

Ignis would’ve preferred the daemon kill him, but he also wanted someone, anyone, to comfort him. 

Even a daemon.

After all, he wasn’t far off from being one himself, was he?

FFXV

Noctis’ knees buckled, and he found himself in a crumpled heap on the floor of the safe room. Gladio was kneeling next to him, saying his name over and over. Prompto was on his other side, rubbing his back.

“Noctis, what happened?” Gladio asked urgently. He couldn’t shake the sight of the Darkness rising from Ignis and pining Noctis to the wall. 

Noctis swallowed hard, his eyes still burning with tears. 

What had he done? 

Ignis’ last words to him rang in his ears.

_It seems it is my lot in life to be raped in one way or another by kings of Lucis._

“Noct?” Gladio whispered, “Talk to me.”

Noctis could still feel everything from Ignis, and something else.

He could feel Ardyn.

The moment he had torn the shields down, he had felt the second bond inside Ignis. Ignis was bound to Ardyn, to another king of Lucis.

That was why the bond between them had felt so strange. A man wasn’t meant to be bonded to more than one person. The bond of blood and magic was a soul deep thing. No wonder Ignis had been acting so strangely. His soul was being torn apart. 

And Noctis had just exacerbated the wound.

No wonder he had become Skaeling.

Gods, he had played into Ardyn’s hands—just as he had on the train when he pushed Prompto off. Ardyn was waiting for Ignis to run back to him. He could swear he could hear Ardyn’s voice through the bond, faint, barely audible. He was telling Ignis to come home.

Noctis snarled, his hands grasping at his hair. No. He couldn’t let Ignis go back to Ardyn. Ardyn couldn’t have him, not again.

Gladio clung to Noctis as the king screamed, his body twisting. Noctis beat at Gladio’s chest, his fists slamming into the broad muscles. Gladio held him tightly, eyes locked with Prompto.

What had Ignis meant by that last statement?

Noctis finally stilled, his eyes burning.

“Let me go, Gladio,” he said, his eyes locked on the door.

“Noctis—”

“I have to find him,” Noctis said, throwing Gladio’s arms off him and standing up.

“Noctis, you can’t go out there alone,” Prompto said.

Noctis looked at him. “He’s not far,” Noctis whispered, “he’s in too much pain to go far.” His voice cracked. Ignis was in pain because of him. He had done that to Ignis.

Ignis had been right—he had raped Ignis, perhaps in a much worst way than Ardyn. Ardyn had raped his body, Noctis had raped his mind.

Noctis thought about the city that waited for them. Could they make it through without Ignis? Without Skaeling? He didn’t think he’d be able to kill people who had once been crown citizens. They wouldn’t survive the trek to the palace.

He needed to find Ignis.

“Give me ten minutes, please,” Noctis said. “Then you can come look for me.”

Gladio looked up at him. He could see tear tracks on Noctis’ face, the determination in his eyes.

Gladio nodded shortly. “Ten minutes.”

Noctis tried to smile at him, but he was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of despair through the bond. He turned and bolted out the door.

FFXV

Ignis sat against the shell of a burnt out car. The goblin sat next to him, chittering and stroking his hair. Ignis shrugged it away, summoning a dagger from Noctis.

He nearly screamed. Summoning the weapon felt like his bones were being torn from his skin. He sobbed, clutching the dagger to his chest.

If he could just end it, he could be free of the bond.

Of both bonds. He could be free of both kings.

He could just be _Ignis_. He wasn’t sure he knew how to be just Ignis. 

He wept, placing the dagger above his arm. It had been so long since he had cut himself. Ardyn’s abuse had taken the place of his self-harm, and when he drank down Darkness the pain lessened.

Only death would ease the pain now. Only death would ease the pain of remembering what Noctis had done to him, of what he had become.

The dagger bit into his flesh, parting skin and muscle. He barely moved, pain hardly registering in his mind.

The goblin chattered at him, trying to tear the dagger from his hands. Ignis snarled at it, Darkness rising from him. The daemon screeched, twisting away from him.

Ignis fell back against the car as the daemon ran off. He let out a horrid laugh, blood flowing freely from his arm.

He screamed, his voice echoing off the buildings.

FFXV

Noctis heard him scream and froze, listening intently. He followed the open bond and kept running. He rounded a corner and saw Ignis crumpled against the side of a car, dagger in hand.

“Ignis!” Noctis yelled, dropping to the ground in front of him. Ignis tried to scramble away, but he was trapped between the car and Noctis.

Noctis stared at him, his horror and guilt rising. Ignis looked…different. His face was narrower, cheeks sunken in, right eye swimming in Darkness. Noctis could see every vein beneath his skin, thrumming with Darkness.

The blood that flowed over his arm was black. The tear tracks on his face where tinged with Darkness.

“Gods, Ignis, I’m so sorry. Please, Ignis, please!” Noctis said, reaching out. He could feel the pain radiating from Ignis through the bond like fire.

Ignis hissed at him, slashing at him with the dagger. Noctis felt it bite his cheek, blood flowing down his face into his beard. 

Noctis landed on his ass as Ignis lunged at him again, teeth bared. Ignis was suddenly straddling him, dagger pressed to his throat.

“Ignis…” Noctis whispered, staring up at him.

Ignis dug the tip of the dagger into Noctis’ windpipe. Noctis lay completely still under Ignis.

He could feel Ignis’ pain, loneliness, and self-loathing. Noctis felt blood drip down his throat.

“Ignis…I’m so sorry,” Noctis said again. He wondered what would happen if Ignis killed him. Would the gods intervene? Would Darkness win because of Noctis’ actions?

Ignis felt Noct’s blood run over his fingers. With a cry, he sent the dagger away and collapsed on top of Noctis. Noctis wrapped his arms around Ignis, whispering apologies into his hair. 

He gathered healing magic in his hand and sent it through Ignis’ body. Ignis twisted in his arms, crying out.

It wasn’t working. Noctis closed his eyes. His Light couldn’t touch Ignis.

Ignis fought to get away from him, but Noctis tightened his arms around him.

“Kill me,” Ignis panted, “kill me…please…”

“Ignis,” Noctis whispered, clutching at the blind man’s arms. He had done this. He had destroyed Ignis’ shields and hurt his very soul.

He heard footsteps and glanced sideways; Gladio and Prompto stood there, staring down at them in horror. Gladio saw blood flowing from Noctis’ throat and lunged forward, grabbing Ignis by the shoulders and tearing him off of the king.

Ignis howled, the katana appearing and slicing towards Gladio. Gladio fell backwards, Ignis bearing down on him. Prompto called his guns and fired a single shot. 

Noctis screamed when the shot took Ignis high in the chest.

Ignis hit the ground and didn’t move. Prompto whimpered, staring at his body. Black blood oozed from his chest.

Noctis crawled over to Ignis. 

“I’m so sorry,” Prompto whispered, tears running down his face. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

Gladio reached for his husband, pulling him down next to him. Prompto sobbed into his shoulder.

Noctis pulled Ignis into his arms. “Ignis…please…I’m so sorry…don’t leave me…you can be whoever you need to be. You can be Ignis, or Skaeling, or anyone! Just…please!”

Prompto covered his mouth, turning away. Gladio pulled him close. “This isn’t your fault,” he whispered. His hand shook as he looked back at Ignis. It reminded him of the time on the train when Ignis had killed himself.

He didn’t think a miracle from the Oracle was going to save Ignis this time. 

Noctis held Ignis close, his nose buried in Ignis’ hair. He couldn’t lose him, not now, not this close to the end. He wasn’t dead, not yet.

They heard a weird chittering sound and looked up. A goblin inched closer to them, glowing eyes locked on Ignis’ body. It hopped closer.

Gladio raised his Greatsword, preparing to finish the daemon.

“Wait,” Noctis whispered. He felt something from Ignis through the bond. Gladio frowned at him, but did as he was asked.

The goblin scuttled closer to them, hissing with each step. Noctis felt Ignis’ body tense in his arms. The goblin took one more step forward, and Ignis’ arm shot out, grabbing the daemon by the wrist.

Noctis stared in wide eyed horror as Ignis dragged the goblin close to them. Darkness seeped from Ignis’ skin, black blood pooling on the ground. Ignis coughed, more black blood spattering the ground.

The goblin twisted, trying desperately to get away from Ignis. Ignis was still half in Noctis’ lap, and he could feel the Darkness trying to work its way into his body. Ignis growled, blood welling from his mouth.

Ignis managed to get his other hand free from under his body. Dark flame engulfed it, and he drove it towards the goblin. It screamed as Ignis drank from it. 

Noctis shuddered as the daemon shrunk, its body withering away as Ignis stole the Darkness that made it live. Prompto buried his face in Gladio’s shoulder.

The body of daemon collapsed, withered and dry. Ignis panted, still in Noctis’ lap. His chest burned where Prompto had shot him.

Prompto had shot him. He should tear the blonde’s head from his shoulders and feed it to Gladio. He should tear Prompto’s face off and make Gladio watch. He should hang them from above the throne and laugh.

He went still, his mind suddenly overwhelmed with memories.

Hadn’t he done that before? 

He remembered a dream from long ago; watching _another_ Ignis caress Gladio’s thigh as he hung from the ceiling. He remembered the horror of watching that other Ignis kill Gladio, drive his blade into his throat.

Had that been a dream, or prophecy? He had denied that he would ever become that Ignis, that horrible man who cut up his friends with a smile on his face, the man who tortured Prompto, cutting his stretch marks from his body, taunting him as the dug the blade in.

He had become that man, that monster. He had embraced the Darkness with his whole being, hadn’t he? He had turned his back on Light, on love, because he felt that it had abandoned him. His only Light had been snuffed out when Noctis had been absorbed by the Crystal, leaving him alone in a world of Darkness, of pain.

He could feel Noctis’ legs under him, hear Gladio and Prompto’s rapid breathing.

What had he done? What had he become?

Noctis felt a wave of panic and despair from Ignis, before it disappeared, swallowed by an emotionless pit.

Ignis half sat up and turned to Noctis, pressing his cheek against Noctis’, inhaling his scent. He felt his pulse skyrocket under his tongue, tasted blood.

“You’re still here,” he said flatly.

Noctis swallowed. Ignis’ voice was wrong. 

“Skaeling?” he whispered.

Skaeling hummed, his tongue running along Noctis’ neck. He pressed his teeth hard against his pulse point, reveling in the sudden increase in pulse. Noctis could swear that his teeth were slightly pointed.

Gladio and Prompto stared, afraid to move, afraid to make Skaeling attack Noctis. 

Noctis’ eyes darted to Gladio. He could feel Skaeling’s teeth against his neck, tongue laving at the wound he had inflicted earlier.

Noctis swallowed hard, and Skaeling chuckled.

“You taste of fear,” Skaeling whispered against his neck.

Noctis didn’t reply. Gladio turned and pressed his lips against Prompto’s ear.

“Give me your gun.”

Prompto looked at him, eyes wide. “What?”

“I’m not going to shoot him. Just give it to me!” he hissed urgently.

Prompto handed him the pistol. Gladio flipped it in his hand, grabbing it by the barrel. Noctis’ eyes widened briefly when Gladio stepped up behind Skaeling and brought the butt of the pistol down hard against his temple.

Skaeling slumped, his body going limp on top of Noctis’. Gladio handed the gun back and knelt, checking to make sure the man was unconscious. 

Noctis looked at Gladio.

“Sorry,” Gladio said, “but I figured you’d be better with me knocking his ass out than shooting him again.”

Noctis nodded mutely. Gladio pulled Ignis’ body over his shoulders in a carry. “Let’s go back to the safe room, and maybe someone can explain what the fuck just happened.”

Noctis nodded, getting slowly to his feet. Prompto helped steady him, pressing a potion into his hand.

“Your neck and cheek are still bleeding,” Prompto whispered as they walked after Gladio. Noctis cracked the potion, closing his eyes as he felt the cut on his cheek knit back together.

“Thanks,” Noctis whispered miserably. He didn’t know what to think. 

They walked in silence back to the safe room.

He could feel Ardyn through the bond to Ignis, laughing at him, waiting for them.

FFXV

_There was a great chasm beneath him. He was balanced precariously on the edge of the abyss. He couldn’t see it, and he was thankful for that. He could hear the wind screaming through the chasm, feel it tearing at him, trying to drag him down forever into the Darkness._

_He was naked, and cold. He went to wrap his arms around himself and felt the tug of chains at his wrists._

_He was bound, a shackle and chain hanging heavy off each wrist. Each chain went to a different side of the chasm._

_He knew immediately who those chains were held by. On his right, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Light of his world, the one he loved. On his left, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, harbinger of destruction, of Darkness, the one he craved._

_The wind buffeted him, and he thought he could thousands of people screaming in the gale—the people he had murdered._

_He let out a cry as the precipice he stood on crumpled beneath his feet. He was dangling above the abyss, his arms damn near tearing out of their sockets as he was strung between the two kings._

_He sobbed, begging them both to let him go, just let him fall into that abyss._

_They fought, tugging him back and forth. He felt like he was being torn apart. He could feel Noctis’ determination not to let Ardyn have him, and he could feel Ardyn reaching for him, twisting his feelings for Noctis._

_Blood dripped from his nose, his eyes, his ears._

_He opened his mouth to scream, and blood gushed from his throat._

_He hung there, trapped between two kings and prayed for death._

FFXV

Gladio set Ignis down gently on one of the beds. He wiped his brow and sat on the other bed, glancing up as Noctis and Prompto walked in. Prompto shut the door after them and then went to sit by Gladio. Gladio took his hand, drawing Prompto in close to him.

Noctis sank to the bed next to Ignis, brushing a strand of hair from Ignis’ forehead. He could still feel despair and loneliness seeping from him, and he had to blink back his own tears.

“I’m so sorry, Ignis,” he whispered. He reached down and unbuttoned Ignis’ jacket, pulling it open to look at the bullet wound.

He yanked up the shirt and froze, staring in shock at Ignis’ chest. Was this really the same man he had made love to days ago?

The bullet had taken Ignis high in the chest, above his heart. The wound was closed, but the scar was black, with black veins radiating across his white chest like the legs of a spider. 

The Darkness pulsed through the wound; it spread slowly across his body with every beat of his heart, darkening his skin. Noctis’ heart sank. He recognized it.

Starscourge.

Noct swallowed, resting his hand on the angry scar. He could feel it twist beneath his hand like a living thing, and he nearly threw up.

He looked up at Gladio and Prompto. “I need you guys to stay quiet for a moment, and not interrupt no matter what happens.”

“Noctis, I can’t promise that,” Gladio said, staring at his king. Noctis looked at him. “If he wakes up and tries to kill you again, I have to intervene. I have to stop him.”

Noctis looked back down at Ignis’ still form. “He won’t, but I understand. Just…stay quiet.”

Prompto clung to Gladio’s hand. He looked away from the growing Darkness on Ignis’ chest, spreading because of something he had done.

Noctis took a deep breath and pressed his hand harder against the wound. He felt it give beneath his palm, and he swallowed bile. Gods, that felt disgusting.

His eyes slid closed as he followed the bond. He could almost feel it like a tangible thing again; a silver thread binding them together for life. He could almost see it, frayed and damaged, but still there. There was another thread, tarnished and black, binding Ignis to Ardyn.

Noctis couldn’t break the bond between Ardyn and Ignis; he couldn’t even begin to undo that bond, but maybe there was something he could do.

He found that silver thread again. It wasn’t like it was really there, but he could see it in his mind’s eye. It was damaged, thinning, frayed. 

Noctis poured his love into that tiny thread; his love, his regret at his actions, his hope for Ignis. 

To Prompto and Gladio, it looked like Noctis was just sitting there, his eyes closed and his hand pressed hard against that black wound on his chest.

Ignis’ body suddenly arched off the bed, a thin wail escaping his throat. Prompto started, staring wide eyed at the two men.

Noctis almost felt Ardyn sit up and pay attention. He ignored the other man, trying to worm his way down his own bond to Ignis.

Ignis’ soul became a battleground. Blood leaked from his eyes, his nose, his mouth. Noctis hissed, striking out at Ardyn down the bond.

FFXV

_Noctis stared across the chasm at Ardyn, Ignis hanging limply between them, blood pouring from his body. Noctis’ eyes met Ardyn’s. Ardyn smiled, wrapping his hand in the chain binding him to Ignis and yanked._

_Ignis screamed, choking on his blood._

_Noctis moved with the tug, his toes hanging over the edge of that great abyss._

_“You cannot have him,” Noctis whispered, his voice carrying easily across the gulf._

_“He is no longer just yours,” Ardyn said, “he doesn’t want to belong to just you, dear Noct.”_

_Noctis took a deep breath, closing his eyes and ignoring Ardyn’s taunts. Ardyn didn’t matter. It wasn’t time to deal with Ardyn yet._

_Only Ignis mattered._

_He remembered the shields Ignis had erected between them, how they had reminded him of the wall surrounding Insomnia._

_He held his hand out, the Ring of the Lucii glinting on his finger. It flashed white, and Noctis felt it drawing power, his life, from him. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t long for the world anyway._

_“Ignis,” he whispered, remembering the first time they’d kissed, the first time they’d made love, how he had loved Ignis for years but had always been too afraid to tell him, how—even after everything that happened—he had only felt complete with Ignis by his side._

_Even knowing what Ignis had done, what he had become, he was only whole with Ignis._

_He drew on that feeling, and slammed a wall in place between Ignis and Ardyn._

_The bond was still there, but it was shielded._

_Noctis’ knees buckled._

_Ardyn screamed in rage._

FFXV

The Ring of the Lucii flashed a brilliant white, blinding Gladio and Prompto. The light slowly faded, and they blinked.

Ignis rolled onto his side, vomiting black bile. Noctis slumped against him, a fine sheen of sweat across his brow.

Ignis shook, coughing up blood.

“Ignis?” Noctis whispered hoarsely. 

“What…what did you do?” Ignis groaned. 

“Put up a shield between you and Ardyn.”

Ignis shuddered, and Noctis took the corner of the blanket and gently wiped his face. “I am so sorry, Ignis. A thousand lifetimes could never make up for what I did to you, and I’ll never forgive myself…”

Ignis rolled onto his back. Noctis stared at the wound on his chest. It was white and raised, a normal looking scar.

His face was still sunken in, right eye swamped by Darkness, but the spread of the Starscourge in his chest seemed to have stopped, at least for the moment.

Ignis could still feel the bond to Ardyn, but there was a wall between them. For the first time in years, he didn’t have Ardyn’s voice whispering in his mind. He could feel Noctis, his exhaustion, his love, his guilt at tearing down Ignis’ shields. 

Noctis gently cupped Ignis’ chin. The other man froze, his fear beating against Noct. His heart beat in his chest like a bird trying to escape from a cage.

“Majesty, you should have let me die,” Ignis whispered. “What I have done…it is an instant death sentence. I am a monster.”

Noctis took a deep breath. “Yes, you are. You are a murderer. You tortured countless people, and did terrible things. You are a monster, the worst mass murderer Insomnia has ever seen.”

Gladio and Prompto were frozen, staring in wide eyed shock at Noctis’ words.

Ignis tried to pull away from him, his face shutting down. Noctis could feel his resignation through the bond. He had left the bond between them completely open. He hoped Ignis could feel his emotions just as easily. 

Noctis’ hand tightened on Ignis’ jaw, sending sparks of pain through the other man.

“You are a monster, but you are _my monster_ ,” Noctis growled. 

Ignis went still. 

“I need your Darkness to get us through the city. I need you, and I need Skaeling.”

“Majesty…” Ignis whispered, still trying to pull away. 

“Me, Gladio, Prompto, we’re not equipped to fight this world. I can fight Ardyn only because I am his opposite—”

“You are more alike than you’d like to admit,” Ignis said softly. He was intimately bonded to both men. If anyone knew how truly similar they were, he did. “Ardyn was once a good king, a chosen king. The gods turned against him. What would you do if they turned against you?”

“As long as you were with me, I wouldn’t care.”

Ignis swallowed. 

“Ignis...we...the rest of us aren’t dark enough for this city. We wouldn’t be willing to kill to get past people. We need to reach the Citadel, no matter what. Those people…”

“They will die with the dawn,” Ignis whispered, “just like daemons. They are too far gone to save, Majesty.”

Noctis closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against Ignis’. He could read between the lines of what Ignis was saying.

Ignis was too far gone to survive the dawn, far too consumed with Darkness.

Noctis felt a wave of regret. It wasn’t fair. 

“I’m so sorry, Ignis, for what I did. You were right, I raped you. I will never forgive myself for that. Will you help me, help us, get to the palace?”

Ignis didn’t move. Noctis could feel his conflict. Gladio and Prompto stayed silent. Gladio didn’t necessarily agree with Noctis. He wasn’t sure he would be able to trust Ignis after what he had seen, but he also knew that Noctis was essentially right; there was no way the three of them could make it to the Citadel on their own.

“I will have to kill more people,” Ignis said flatly.

“Yes,” Noctis said, praying that Ignis would find forgiveness after the dawn, praying that he would be able to die.

“I…”

“You are my monster. Ignis, Skaeling, whoever you are, you are _mine._ You are a weapon in my armory, a blade forged of Darkness and pain, and I will wield you as you wield that katana. I need you, Ignis, every part of you. Help me. Be my monster, be my Darkness.”

Ignis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Noctis wanted to use his Darkness?

“Ardyn would never expect it,” Noctis whispered, his forehead still pressed against Ignis’.

Ignis thought about that. Ardyn expected him to turn against Noctis, especially after what Noctis had done to him. Ardyn would expect him to walk up to him and join him, as he had in that dream.

“Be my Darkness, Ignis. Be my monster, Skaeling.”

Ignis let out a breath. Holding a grudge against Noctis for the limited time they both had left was incredibly stupid. He had only one choice.

“Yes.”

Noctis grinned and kissed him hard. He tasted vile, like death and decay, but Noctis kept kissing him.

Ignis fell back, limp against the bed, Noctis half collapsed on top of him. He turned his head and looked at Gladio and Prompto, silent and pale.

“We need to rest for a bit, then we’ll continue on,” Noctis said.

“To the Citadel?” Prompto whispered.

Noctis nodded, curling against Ignis. 

“To the end.”

_To the Dawn._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are love! Please tell me what you think of this chapter! Please?


	38. The Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the gods fight, and the end draws ever nearer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I think the next chapter might be the last full chapter before the epilogue. Holy shit. I hope people are still reading this, especially this close to the end. Please let me know if you are.
> 
> Comments and kudos are love.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Now-The Beginning of the End

The four of them sat in the safe room, mostly quiet. Prompto was huddled against Gladio, one of the shield’s arms tightly around his husband. Noctis sat next to Ignis, who leaned against the wall with his head back. 

Gladio watched Ignis. He was still coming to terms with everything that had happened.

Ignis was a murderer, a mass murderer. As Noctis had said, the worst mass murderer in the history of Lucis. He still wasn’t sure where that katana had come from, because everyone had been far too tired to talk after whatever Noctis had done.

He watched Ignis and worried. How could he trust a man who could kill so easily?

Noctis glanced at Ignis. 

“Ignis, may I see that katana?” Noctis asked.

Ignis sat up straight, summoning the blade. Gladio went tense, half waiting for Ignis to turn and attack Noctis. Prompto watched through half closed eyes.

Ignis flipped the blade around and handed it to Noctis hilt first. Noctis took it, running his fingers over the metal that had killed so many people. It truly was a beautiful weapon; sharp, deadly, and the blade had designs etched into it.

And a name.

“There’s a name on the blade,” Noctis said, pressing his thumb against it.

Ignis frowned. “Really?”

“Yeah, and the skulls of Lucian royalty.”

“What’s the name?” Prompto asked, leaning forward.

Noctis glanced up at Prompto and Gladio and then back at the blade in his hands. “Izunia.”

Ignis hissed slightly. “Ah. That explains much.”

“I still don’t get where that blade is coming from if it’s not Noctis’,” Gladio said.

Ignis tilted his head towards Gladio. “Ardyn, of course.”

Prompto looked between Noctis and Ignis, realization hitting him like a kick to the chest. “Oh my gods, you’re bonded to Ardyn!”

Ignis turned away slightly, his shoulders hunching. “Yes. I was bonded to Ardyn through hate and violence and sex.”

“You had sex with that monster?” Gladio asked, aghast.

Ignis turned back to him, his face hard. His eye still swam with Darkness. “We are both monsters, Gladiolus, and we did monstrous things to one another. Of course we fucked. No one else would touch me.” His voice was bitter. 

Gladio bowed his head. “Ignis, I’m—”

Ignis held his hand up. “Don’t. Don’t you dare say it. It’s over, it’s done, it’s in the past. I doubt you’ll ever trust me again, but I must say the feeling is rather mutual. I had trusted you to help me when I needed it most, and you left me. I went to the one person who didn’t turn away from me, and yes, it was Ardyn. That’s all I’m going to say on the subject. We have to get along a little while longer.”

Noctis looked at Gladio. “I’ll be Ignis’ trust. Trust me, Gladio. And please, guys, try to get along. I know it will be hard to watch what Ignis has to do to get us to the Citadel, but we need him. I need him, just like I need you guys. Just…please.” Noctis looked back at the blade in his hands.

“Not a problem,” Prompto said. Well, it kind of was a problem. This Ignis had tortured people, taunted them, cut them up. Prompto wasn’t sure he would be able to control his nightmares after this. This Ignis made him think of Gralea and being tortured. He wrapped his arms around his midsection, his fingers running discreetly over the scars.

Gladio saw and pulled him close, pressing a kiss into Prompto’s hair.

“So, any idea exactly who Izunia was?” Noctis asked.

“We know he was a king, one of the first if not the first,” Prompto started.

“He was the second king of Lucis, gifted the Ring of the Lucii. He was the first king’s advisor and lover, and when the gods turned their back on their chosen king, they forced Izunia onto the throne,” Ignis said, reaching out for the blade. He could feel the others staring at him.

“Wait, who was the first then?” Prompto asked. “We couldn’t find anything beyond this Izunia guy.”

“Ardyn,” Noctis and Ignis said at the same time.

“Ardyn was a king?” Gladio asked.

“Yes,” Noctis said. He told them what Ardyn had told him as he was being sucked into the Crystal. “I didn’t know about Izunia though.”

“Izunia was his half-brother,” Ignis said.

“He was lovers with his brother?” Prompto asked.

“Yes, from the time he was sixteen.”

“Did he tell you this?” Noctis whispered.

Ignis snorted. “No. No…Lunafreya and the gods showed it to me in a vision.”

Noctis stared at him. Ignis ran his fingers over the named etched on the blade. If this had once been Izunia’s, it explained why Ardyn had been so displeased when he pulled it from him the first time.

He sat there, caressing the blade and thinking. Ardyn probably had the blade made for Izunia after they became lovers, putting it in his magical armory for Izunia to pull out. Ignis pressed his forehead against the blade. The katana would’ve stayed with Ardyn even after Izunia’s death.

Ignis wondered how Izunia died.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked. “Ignis?”

Ignis lifted his head. “Yes?”

“Why did the gods give you a vision?”

Ignis bared his teeth in a snarl. “The Lady Lunafreya was apparently worried for my immortal soul, and wanted the gods to show me a vision of the man Ardyn used to be. Before the gods betrayed him.” He went quiet. 

“She wanted me to leave him,” he whispered. “She told me you were coming back and it would destroy you if you saw me with him…Instead, we nearly destroyed each other.”

Noctis closed his eyes briefly. 

“We should head out soon,” Ignis said, sending the katana away. He touched his chest, the scar from Prompto’s bullet aching.

“Of course,” Noctis said softly, dropping his eyes. He lifted them and met Gladio and Prompto’s pained gaze.

Noctis dropped his hand onto Ignis’ shoulder.

“Lead the way, Skaeling,” he said quietly.

Skaeling lifted his head, grinning wickedly. It was time to play.

FFXV

Noctis, Gladio, and Prompto walked behind Skaeling, surrounded by a bevy of MTs, taking out daemons at Ignis’—Skaeling’s—command.

The bond between Noctis and Ignis was open, and he could feel the utter delight coming from the man before them. He watched as Ignis leapt into another group of humans, slicing them apart as they tried to rush by and attack the king.

“Your boyfriend scares the shit out of me,” Gladio said quietly. 

Noctis nodded tightly, glad that Gladio couldn’t feel what he was feeling from Ignis. Noctis tried to keep the horror he was feeling from the bond. Ignis hadn’t said anything.

Prompto watched the MTs out of the corner of his eye, rubbing his old codeprint as they walked. The moment they had left the safe room, Ignis had summoned the MTs. They had come from the shadows, and did exactly as he bid them. 

They cut through daemons, Ignis in the lead. Whenever one MT fell, another seemed to appear and take its place. The daemons were unrelenting, trying to do as Ardyn bid them from the palace.

The daemons were confused. Their gods were fighting. The two men who had created most of them seemed to be on opposite sides. The daemons fought, and they died. 

And then there were the people. That hurt the most, watching Ignis leap almost gleefully into a group of humans, that wicked katana separating limbs from bodies. He seemed to thrive on their screams, and he took his time with those who begged for their lives.

Noctis wanted to ask him to dial it back, but he didn’t. He could still feel the pain radiating from Ignis from when he had torn the shields down. He watched Ignis, and wanted to weep for him. He had never imagined that his Ignis would fall so far into Darkness. It was hard to believe that this man before him was his childhood friend, first and only lover.

It was hard to watch Ignis be such an effective weapon of Darkness. He wielded it like he had been born to it, and that terrified Noctis. Had the gods always meant for Ignis to become this monster? Had that been their plan—let Ignis fall into Darkness so the Chosen King could succeed? 

But which Chosen King?

Him, or Ardyn?

Light, or Darkness?

Ignis beheaded another man, and Noctis stared as the head rolled to stop right in front of him. The man’s eyes stared up at him, frozen in terror.

Noctis stepped around the head gingerly, not looking at Gladio and Prompto. He wondered how different it would’ve been if they had stayed to help Ignis ten years ago. Would Ignis still have run to Ardyn if he had gotten the help he’d needed?

Noctis shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. Like Ignis had said, it was over, it was done. 

The only way to go was forward.

Noctis felt his eyes burn with tears. Prompto dropped a hand onto his shoulder, squeezing gently.

Noctis looked at him, giving him a watery smile. Gladio walked on his other side, silent and strong.

They kept walking, silent, as Ignis continued to leave a blood filled path for them to follow.

Ignis never said a word to them. He could feel the shield that Noctis put between him and Ardyn weakening the closer they get to the Citadel.

Ardyn chipped away at the shield, occasional whispers getting through to Ignis.

Ignis stood at an intersection, breathing hard, blood dripping from the katana. He knew he was covered in blood. He felt it, tacky on his face. He could taste it, coppery and pungent on his tongue. He tilted his head, listening to the quiet footsteps of the other three walking forward. 

They didn’t speak to him, and he didn’t speak to them. He did as the king asked. He cut a path through the city to get him to the Citadel. 

Ignis could feel how withdrawn Noctis was from him, and he felt a stab of sorrow. He shook it away quickly, not wanting to let Noctis know how much it hurt.

He turned and started walking again, bloody boot prints leaving a trail on the cement. 

Noctis felt the wave of sorrow from Ignis and closed his eyes. He wanted to take Ignis in his arms, shield him from Ardyn, from the world. But he couldn’t. 

Ignis led him to his death. Ignis led him to the dawn.

Ignis rounded a corner and paused, listening.

There was something massive before them, but it didn’t feel quite like a daemon.

The others stopped beside him. The gates of the Citadel were just ahead. Standing in front of it… 

“That is a really behemoth Behemoth,” Prompto said.

Gladio snorted, glad for a brief moment of levity.

“At least this we can help with,” Noctis said, summoning a sword.

“Hell yeah,” Gladio said, “I need to smash something.”

Prompto called his guns, and the three of them leapt after Ignis. For a brief moment, it felt like it had before Altissia—the four of them fighting seamlessly together, always knowing where the others were, being right where they were supposed to be.

Then Noctis looked at Ignis’ blood covered face, and reality came crashing back down. The Behemoth roared, finally falling in death.

Noctis handed out potions to the others. Ignis pressed his back into Noctis’ hands.

“They will not work for me,” he said softly. Noctis remembered how he couldn’t heal Ignis.

“I need you at full strength,” Noctis said, reaching out. Gods, how he wanted to touch Ignis.

He thought he had accepted Ignis, and Skaeling, in the safe room. But seeing him in action was another thing. He knew, deep down, that he would never be able to accept this man as Ignis.

And he knew that Ignis knew it. 

Ignis nodded shortly and turned. He knew they stood in front of the Citadel. He lifted his hand, and the MTs that had been their escort collapsed in sparks, wisps of Darkness flying from them and wrapping around Ignis’ hand, finally wriggling down his throat.

Ignis felt his wounds close as he swallowed the Darkness. 

Noctis watched, and felt his heart break anew. Ignis was a creature of Darkness now. Light could not touch him, could not heal him. He could only heal himself by stealing from others.

He would never be completely healed again.

They stood by the gates. There were bodies strung up, and skeletons gathered at the base. Noctis stared.

“Why the bodies?” Gladio asked, gently nudging a skull out of the way.

“Offerings,” Ignis said, “sacrifices.”

“Sacrifices to whom?” Prompto asked.

Ignis turned, seemingly staring at him through that Darkness consumed eye. “Who do you think?”

That shut everyone up. Ignis reached up. One of them was still alive. He caressed the man’s cheek. He could feel the man’s Darkness. He had done terrible things, and wouldn’t survive the coming of the dawn. Ignis wrapped his hand around the man’s neck and squeezed.

Noctis spun away, clenching his fists. Gladio closed his eyes when the man’s hyoid bone snapped under Ignis’ hand.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Prompto said.

Ignis shrugged. “But I wanted to.”

Noctis flinched. Ignis stepped back, tilting his head back. He could feel Ardyn waiting, anticipating. 

“Ardyn waits inside,” Ignis said softly, wiping some of the blood off his face. It got itchy when it dried. Noctis took a handkerchief from his pocket and got it wet, quickly wiping the worst of the blood from Ignis’ face. Ignis stood completely still as he did. 

Noctis didn’t ask how he knew. He could feel the shield he’d put up between Ignis and Ardyn crumbling.

“Are we ready?” Noctis asked, his touch lingering on Ignis’ face for a moment. How he wished for just a little more time!

Prompto and Gladio looked at each other. Prompto took his husband’s hand, smiling as best he could. He wasn’t ready. He’d never be ready. He wanted to grow old with Gladio, watch Iris maybe have children and get to shower them in affection. Maybe adopt kids with Gladio, because Gladio would be a great dad. He wanted more time.

Gladio seemed to know what he was thinking. He pulled Prompto closed and kissed him hard on the lips. Prompto leaned into him.

Noctis’ eyes tightened briefly, and he turned away from them. Gods, it hurt. It hurt to watch them. He looked up at Ignis, his right eye completely covered by Darkness, face sunken in, black blood pulsing under his veins. A monster.

“We’re ready,” Gladio said softly, still holding Prompto. 

Noctis looked at Ignis. Ignis nodded.

Noctis pushed the gate open.

FFXV

Unlike the rest of the city, the Citadel was quiet. No daemons waited for them, no MTs leapt out of the shadows. 

The four men walked side by side, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

They reached the foot of the stairs, and Noctis was suddenly reminded of the last time he had stood here, departing the city to marry Lunafreya.

_Walk tall, my son._

Noctis blinked back tears.

Ignis took a sudden breath.

Ardyn stepped forward, looking down at them. He looked briefly at Noctis, but found his eyes drawn to Ignis. He could practically taste the Darkness around the man, and delighted in how far he had fallen so quickly.

“Ignis,” Ardyn said.

“Ardyn,” Ignis replied.

No one said anything for a moment, and Ardyn turned his attention back to Noctis. His face twisted in a smile. So close. He was so close to the end.

But first, a trial by fire.

There was only one god that remained loyal to Ardyn, turning his back on the other gods, on humanity.

“Ifrit, the Infernian,” Ardyn said, spreading his arms in welcome. “He doesn’t share the Glacian’s fondness for mankind. But you can expect a…warm welcome.”

Ardyn turned, lifting a hand in a wave. “I shall await you above.” As he walked away, flames burst from the ground, completely engulfing the entry way to the palace. A flaming throne appeared, and Ifrit sat upon it.

He was massive, pale skinned, dark haired, with horns spiraling from his head. His head rested against his hand, and the look he gave them was pure disdain. 

The temperature skyrocketed, and Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis stood there for a moment, actually enjoying the warmth. It had been a long time since any of them had felt that kind of heat.

“Stay cool,” Noctis said, “he’s going to bring the heat.”

Prompto let out a nervous giggle.

They rushed forward.

Ifrit lifted his hand, a blast of white hot flame erupting from his palm. Noctis screamed as it grazed him. He hit the ground, rolling. Prompto threw himself down next to Noctis, patting out the flames and helping Noctis heave the king’s mantle off.

“Noct! Over here!” Ignis yelled. He was crouching next to a cement barrier. It may have been a planter once. “Quickly!”

Gladio grabbed Noctis around the waist and half threw him down next to Ignis. Ignis threw his arms over the other three, and Gladio saw them enveloped by a shield of Darkness. Another blast of fire struck it, but the Darkness held.

Black tinged sweat dripped from Ignis’ brow as he held the shield. Prompto shoved an elixir into Noct’s hand. Noctis cracked it, sighing in relief as the healing energy took care of his burns.

Noctis lifted his head and stared at the shield of Darkness around the four of them. His eyes locked with Gladio’s. Gladio nodded.

Ignis could have let them all die and joined Ardyn, yet he was still here, protecting them all.

“Can you beat that thing, Iggy?” Gladio asked.

Ignis shook his head. “I cannot kill a god with Darkness,” he said, his voice tight with pain. He had never used Darkness defensively before, and it fought him. It was not made for defense, but to rip and tear and destroy.

“Then we fight,” Noctis said, “and try not to get burned.”

Noctis called a blizzard spell to his hand, tossing it gently in the air. 

“Get ready,” Noctis said, touching Ignis’ arm. Ignis nodded, his teeth clenched together.

“Now!” Noctis cried. Ignis dropped the shield, and Noctis threw the blizzard spell. The four men scattered, summoning weapons. Ifrit got to his feet, flames following him the way Darkness followed Ignis.

They attacked him, molten blood hitting the cobblestones at their feet.

“This is gonna take for days, Noct!” Prompto yelled, rolling out of the way of another blast of flame.

“I know!” Noctis called back. He staggered suddenly, feeling a deep anger that wasn’t his or Ignis’. 

He closed his eyes and felt it. The Draconian was coming.

“Heads up, guys!” Noctis yelled, grabbing Ignis and Prompto and dragging them back.

A massive sword fell from the sky, sinking deep into the asphalt and cobblestones of the circle. 

“The hell?” Gladio asked.

“Bahamut,” Noctis whispered.

Prompto looked at Noctis. His eyes glowed red.

They saw him, flying through the dark sky, metal wings barely pumping. He flew down and grabbed his sword, wrenching from the ground and taking it back into the sky.

“That is so completely bad ass,” Prompto said in awe. He had always thought it was pretty epic whenever Ramuh appeared, but Ramuh was nothing compared to the Draconian.

Ignis wanted to tear the gods apart. This whole thing was their fault. Noctis felt the hate for the gods—all the gods—rise in Ignis like a wave. He put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder.

Noctis would hate the gods for eternity if they denied Ignis death.

Bahamut was suddenly surrounded by countless glowing swords. It reminded Noctis of when he called upon the Armiger.

The swords started raining down from the sky. Ifrit leapt between them, barely dodging some, using others to leap farther. Bahamut shot down from the sky, and Ifrit raised his sword. They slammed together.

There was a brief moment when Bahamut and Noctis locked eyes. Noctis stared at him, red eyes glowing. He bowed his head. He had accepted his fate, and bowed to the gods.

Noctis stood up, summoning his blade. He threw it into the air, warping after it and ignoring the others’ cries. He tossed the blade again, slamming hard into Ifrit while he was distracted by Bahamut.

Ifrit fell back, Bahamut’s swords vanishing. Bahamut nodded to Noctis, vanishing.

“Is he dead?” Prompto asked.

Ifrit suddenly burst into flames.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Prompto said.

“He’s weaker,” Noctis said, “we can do this!”

They fought, Ifrit’s heat scalding their skin. Ignis sent blades of Darkness at the god, Noctis used his Royal Arms. 

Ifrit still did not fall. 

Noctis felt a sudden chill. It seemed like the gods were in a helpful mood.

_“Pyreburner,”_ Shiva’s voice rang out in the language of the gods, _“that heart of flame was turned to ash once. A dead fire must burn no more. Taste again the chill wind of death.”_

Ifrit roared.

The flames were suddenly replaced by a swirling blizzard. Prompto gasped when he saw Gentiana walking next to Noctis. Gentiana matched the king stride for stride as they walked closer to the Infernian. 

Gentiana took a step forward and turned, smiling at Noctis. As she faced the Infernian, the Glacian took her true form. She flew into the air, splitting apart like snow falling from a cloud. Noctis found himself surrounded by many Shivas, one standing right at his shoulder.

The others flew into the air as Ifrit ran towards them. He ran like he was trying to run through quicksand, the ice flowing through the air freezing the fire in his veins. He froze, sword half raised, ready to strike Noctis and the others.

Shiva flew up to him, cupping his lips in her frost bite black hands. She kissed his lower lip gently.

The Infernian shattered, his flame snuffed out.

Noctis couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bits of ice that used to be the god of flame.

He turned, shocked to see Shiva standing before Ignis.

Ignis hissed at her, his lips drawn back in a snarl. Shiva touched his shoulder, and Ignis shot backwards, tripping over a bit of rubble and landing on his butt.

Shiva looked down at him sadly. So much waste. She turned back to Noctis and smiled, ice starting to swirl faster around her as she rose back into the air.

_”O Chosen King of the Stone,”_ she said, _“restore the Light to this world.”_

She was gone, her ice with her. 

Gladio helped Ignis to his feet. He could feel the man shaking.

“What did she just say?” Prompto asked, wiping some soot off his face.

“Told me to bring back the Light.”

Ignis sneered. “Of course she did.”

Noctis stopped in front of Ignis. “What did she say to you?”

Ignis turned his head away, his lips pressed into a tight line. “Nothing of importance.”

Noctis didn’t believe him, but he didn’t want to push.

They walked slowly up the stairs. Ignis clenched his fists at his sides.

How dare Shiva? How dare any of them?

Shiva had told him to believe. She hadn’t told him what he should believe in, of course. It angered him. They were nothing but pawns to the gods.

Noctis opened the door to the palace, and they stepped inside.

They moved through the silent palace, assaulted by memories at every turn. Noctis felt his eyes burn as they moved through the hallways. He remembered being here with his father, discovering he loved Ignis, that time he followed Iris out and took the blame for her.

Prompto remembered the first time he had come here, amazed to find himself friends with the prince. He remembered meeting the king and stuttering through his introductions. He remembered the first time he had seen Gladio.

Gladio remembered how much Noctis used to annoy him. He remembered how badly Iris had wanted to meet the prince, and how worried he had been when he discovered both of them gone. He remembered how Noctis had taken the blame for Iris’ lapse in judgement. He remembered the first time he met Prompto. He took Prompto’s hand, and Prompto squeezed back.

Ignis remembered Ardyn. He remembered Ardyn’s lips, his cock, the taste of his skin. He remembered Ardyn’s lessons in Darkness, Ardyn’s lessons in torture. He remembered the first time he killed a human, and how Ardyn had delighted in it. He remembered riding Ardyn on the throne. He remembered pinning Ardyn to the throne with Izunia’s katana and running.

Noctis felt what Ignis was remembering and winced. 

They climbed into an elevator, riding it up in silence. Noctis touched the back of Ignis’ hand, and he turned his head to face Noctis.

Noctis wanted to apologize, but he knew better. He just pressed his forehead against Ignis’ shoulder.

The elevator door opened, and they walked out. When they reached the door to the throne room, Noctis stopped them.

“Prompto?”

“Yeah?” Prompto asked softly.

“Can I see your photos?”

“Um…yeah!”

“I just need one,” Noctis said, “to take with me.”

Prompto nodded, blinking back tears, and handed him a bunch of pictures. “Take whichever one you’d like.”

Noctis stood there and went through them slowly. He had just looked through them all barely a day ago, but he found himself wanting to take his time.

He came across a shot of the four of them, standing in front of the overlook with Lestallum in the background. Ignis’ arm rested on Noct’s shoulder, and Gladio stood behind them, grinning like a fool. Prompto was crouched in front of Noctis, laughing.

“This one,” he said.

“It’s a good one,” Prompto said.

“Can’t go wrong with a shot of the four of us.”

Ignis hummed. He wished he could see it, but another part of him didn’t want to. He didn’t want to remember what it had been like before. It hurt far too much.

Noctis slid the picture into his chest pocket. He wanted it close to his heart.

He turned and opened the door.

They stepped through, and Ignis nearly slammed into Noct’s back as he stopped.

Noctis growled, staring. 

“What is that?” Prompto asked in horror.

Bodies hung from the ceiling in chains. Noctis recognized them. Lunafreya, his father, Ravus, a member of the Kingsglaive, Nyx.

Ardyn sat on the throne, caressing the arms of it. He smirked as they walked closer, his eyes drawn back to Ignis.

“I’m afraid you’re out of luck,” Ardyn said, sitting forward. “The throne brings you here? It sits only one.”

Ignis bit back a snort. Ardyn’s eyes flicked to him, a smirk crossing his lips.

Noctis stared at him. “Off my chair, jester. The king sits there.”

Ardyn stood up and planted one foot on the throne. “Oh, Noct…How I have waited for this. Longer than you could ever know.”

“Two thousand years, give or take a few?” Prompto asked, shocked at his own daring.

Ardyn ignored him like he hadn’t even spoken. “Tonight, the dreams of the blood royal come to an end.”

“Wow, talk about holding a grudge,” Prompto said.

Ardyn lifted his hand. Darkness shot from it, shooting down towards them. Ignis leapt forward, his own Darkness rising up and shielding the others.

Ardyn looked down at him. “You take the fun out of everything, Ignis.”

“Funny, I seem to remember you thinking I was plenty of fun.”

Ardyn strode down the steps. He walked right up to Ignis, slipping his arm around Ignis’ waist and pulling him close. He ghosted his lips over Ignis’, and the shield between them shattered.

Ardyn’s back was to the others. They could barely make out Ignis, but their feet seemed glued to the ground. They couldn’t move.

Ignis stood in his arms, not fighting. Ardyn pressed his forehead against Ignis’. “You still stand with him, even after what he did? You think he can redeem you?”

Ignis swallowed. Ardyn kept talking.

“I thought the same thing, once. I thought if I could just get to Izunia, if he could just hold me again, chase the Darkness away, I would be okay. But he betrayed me, like Noctis betrayed you. He won’t redeem you.”

Ignis sighed, his breath rushing over Ardyn’s face. “We both know the only redemption for men like us is death, Ardyn.”

“Oh, Ignis, how right you are.” Ardyn kissed Ignis hard, and Ignis leaned into it. Their tongues touched. Ardyn pulled back slightly, looking into the other man’s face.

“Enjoy your redemption.”

Ardyn slammed a stiletto dagger into Ignis’ stomach.

Ignis grunted, stumbling back. The others didn’t see it. Ardyn sent the dagger away before they could see what had been in his hand. He looked down at Ignis.

Ignis hissed in pain.

Ardyn looked at Noctis. “Come, Noct. They have no place in this battle between kings.” He warped away, standing on the crumbled wall above the throne. It led back outside.

Noctis looked at Ignis, still on the floor. He wasn’t sure what had happened. He had felt the conflicting emotions from Ignis when Ardyn kissed him, and a flash of pain, but he didn’t know what he had done.

Ignis could feel Noctis looking at him, and he slowly worked his way to his feet. “Go, Noctis,” Ignis whispered. “He’s right, we have no place in this fight.”

“Are you okay?” Noctis asked worriedly.

“Do not worry about me,” Ignis said, mostly in control. He could feel blood oozing out of the wound. It was a tiny wound, a small thing, but deep.

Noctis stared at him, suddenly terrified. Would Ignis survive the death of Ardyn’s body? If he killed Ardyn’s physical form, would he come back to find Ignis dead?

He stepped forward and pressed his lips against Ignis’. Ignis gasped into his mouth, shocked that Noctis would want to kiss him so soon after Ardyn had.

“I still love you, you know.”

Ignis took a step back. “I know,” he said. “Now go. Ardyn is not always a patient man.”

Noctis looked at the others. Gladio and Prompto nodded at him. 

Noctis turned and warped to the opening. He stood there for a moment, looking down at his city.

He could just make out Ardyn waiting for him below.

He warped down to him.

It was time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please pretty please tell me what you think of this chapter. Next one's going to be heavy.


	39. The End of All Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein we reach the end of all things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. I cried while writing this.
> 
> Some of the dialogue is directly from the game.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are love.
> 
> Not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

So you must carry this light into the darkness  
You shall be a star unto the night  
You will find hope alive among the hopeless  
That is your purpose to this life  
-The Crüxshadows-“Sophia” 

The End of All Things

Noctis landed on the asphalt, standing up slowly. Ardyn stood before him, his back to Noct.

“The once helpless and hapless prince. Is he now ready to claim his crown?” Ardyn turned, a smirk on his lips. He lifted his hand. “Don’t let us down.” He summoned a sword, grinning almost manically at Noctis.

Noctis summoned his own sword, and the two kings warped towards each other, one surrounded by blue light, the other surrounded by red. They slammed into each other, steel ringing as their swords clashed. They were flung back into the air, bodies slamming into buildings.

Noctis panted, balancing precariously on the edge of a windowsill. He stared across at Ardyn. Ardyn smirked at him again, and they both warped down to the road, landing feet apart.

“Let the games begin,” Ardyn said.

“No,” Noctis said firmly, “now they end.” 

You’ll never get to touch Ignis again, Noctis thought. 

Ignis will never be yours again, Ardyn thought.

Their swords slammed into each other again. They grunted as they came together and leapt apart.

“So, you are the chosen king,” Ardyn taunted, “but you are a second choice at best, dear Noct.”

Noctis changed weapons, flying at him. Ardyn laughed, dodging out of the way, switching weapons just as easily.

“Do you like what I’ve done with the world? What I’ve done with Ignis?” 

Noctis screamed, launching himself at Ardyn again.

“Isn’t he magnificent, now? All that Darkness. He was so willing to learn, so easy to teach, so very easy to bind to me.”

“Shut! UP!” Noctis yelled, batting Ardyn’s sword out of the way. He called his daggers, blades slicing Ardyn’s cheek.

“Ignis was never meant for you alone. He’d never be the person he is today without the both of us. Did you enjoy his body after you came back? Doesn’t he fuck magnificently?”

Noctis slammed his shoulder into Ardyn’s stomach, knocking the other man back.

“For your information, Ignis and I never fucked, we made love. But you wouldn’t know what that is, would you?” Noctis snarled. Part of him knew that Ardyn was taunting him on purpose, trying to get him to lose focus.

Deep down, he wasn’t sure why. Didn’t Ardyn want this to end as much as he did?

Ardyn snarled at him, Noctis’ words about love striking deeper than the man would’ve liked. He hated how Ignis always seemed to bring up those feelings of the past. He hated how Ignis reminded him of Izunia.

“You are a king in name alone,” Ardyn said, warping around Noctis so blindingly fast Noctis could barely keep up with him. “I’m disappointed. Can’t you do better than that? Ignis fights better than you, and he’s blind!”

Noctis roared, and the kings clashed again.

“Every time I taught Ignis how to fight, we’d fuck on the throne afterwards,” Ardyn said from behind Noctis. Noctis spun, but Ardyn was gone. “I loved the way he rode me on the throne, screaming my name.”

Noctis was silent, determined not to give in to Ardyn’s taunting again.

“Ten years gaining the power of the gods, and this is how you fight?” Ardyn sneered. Noctis launched himself at Ardyn.

Ardyn leapt back, his body engulfed by black and purple flames. The fire reached for Noctis, and it burned wherever it touched him. It felt like what had reached for Noctis from Ignis.

Darkness.

“Let it be done,” Ardyn whispered. 

“You’re dead meat!” Noctis yelled. As he warped in, Ardyn did the same, his eyes glowing.

Ardyn slammed into Noctis, driving him to the ground with his palm against Noct’s forehead.

He half sat on Noctis’ chest. “Ah…my revenge is soon at hand…How long have I waited? Watching, planning…”

“Don’t worry,” Noctis panted, “it’s far from over.”

Ardyn stood up, holding Noctis up by the throat. “Well, let’s have at it then. Show me what the gods have taught you!”

He tossed Noctis back. “You and your pathetic Crystal…against all I have become!”

Noctis stood back. He closed his eyes briefly. He could feel Ardyn’s Darkness beating at him. He looked deep within himself, looking for that Light. His breath caught. There was nothing there. Only Darkness.

He looked up at Ardyn in horror.

Ardyn laughed, and closed in.

FFXV

Ignis panted, his hand pressed against his stomach. By all the gods, what in the hell had Ardyn stabbed him with?

He could feel them at the end of the bond; two kings fighting to the death. He turned and started moving back towards the elevators.

“Whoa, Ignis,” Gladio said, grabbing his arm as Ignis half collapsed. “What did he do to you?”

“He stabbed you with something, didn’t he?” Prompto asked.

Ignis turned his head, closing his Darkness filled eye. “Yes,” he said softly. He had been stabbed by Ardyn before, but it had never hurt like _this_. He pressed his gloved hand against the wound. 

It felt like it was pulsing, getting bigger.

“Can’t you go suck a daemon or something and get better?” Prompto asked.

Ignis shook his head. “No time,” he said. “I have to get to them. I have to be there.”

The bonds called to him, both kings screaming for him. He had to witness this. One of his bondmates would die, and he had no idea if they would take him with them.

He prayed that they did. 

Gladio pressed his hand gently against Ignis’ stomach. Ignis groaned, pulling back. Gladio looked at his hand. It was covered with black blood.

“Ignis, this is bad.”

“It certainly isn’t good, Gladio, but we have no time. We must get to Noctis.”

Prompto looked at Ignis. “You still love him, don’t you? Even after everything?”

Ignis’ shoulders slumped slightly. “I never stopped,” he whispered. “I tried to forget him, Ardyn tried to push him out of me, but he couldn’t. No matter what, I belong to Noctis.”

Prompto nodded, seemingly satisfied. Ignis was a murderer, but at this moment, the one moment that was the most important, he was Noct’s.

“Then let’s go,” Prompto said softly, taking a hold of Ignis’ bicep. Prompto looked at Gladio. 

Gladio nodded shortly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen, and he snorted. The past couple of days had been one train wreck after another, something bad already had happened.

They reached the elevator, and Ignis leaned heavily against the wall while it went down. Prompto and Gladio looked at each other worriedly. Gladio wondered what would happen if Ignis died before they reached Noctis.

Could Ignis die?

Prompto had shot him in the damn heart, and yet the man was still alive. 

Wasn’t he? 

Gladio looked at Ignis out of the corner of his eye. He had seen the Starscourge spreading across his body, the black blood dripping from him, the way he could control daemons and MTs.

He had seen Ignis die before, and he had seen the scars all over Ignis’ body. Was Ignis even human anymore? He had seen the changes come over him as Skaeling. His body seemed to go under a physical change.

Gladio didn’t know. He couldn’t dwell on it, not when Noctis was desperately fighting Ardyn.

They reached the ground floor and they moved as fast as they could to the doors. Gladio pushed them open. 

He could make out Ardyn and Noctis fighting, warp striking at each other, steel ringing in the quiet Citadel.

They watched as Ardyn drove Noctis to the ground, kneeling on his chest. Gladio watched in terror as Ardyn lifted Noctis by the throat and tossed him back.

Noctis stood up and seemed to look inside himself. He looked up at Ardyn in horror, and Ardyn laughed, closing in fast.

FFXV

Noctis scrambled back, horror seeping through him. He couldn’t find his Light, the power of kings within him. What had been the point if he was only to make it this far to fail? He cursed the gods. 

Where were they when he needed them? 

He looked up, movement drawing his eyes to the doors of the Citadel, where they had fought Ifrit earlier.

Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis stood there. 

Ignis.

Noctis stared at Ignis, his mouth parted. 

He felt heat blossom in his chest, filling his body. He could feel the power of kings roar to life within him, Light filling every pore.

He suddenly remembered flashes of his life with Ignis. Being introduced to him, his dad taking them for drives in the Regalia, Ignis trying to figure out the recipe for those pastries, Ignis fighting to protect him, smiling at him, kissing him.

He understood. Ignis was his Light, his Light in the Darkness.

Ignis kept the Darkness away from him, literally absorbing it so it could not touch the chosen king. Ignis was the reason he was filled with Light. Ignis was the reason he was filled with love.

He remembered a long ago dream. He remembered Lunafreya telling Ignis that there was one thing that followed them after death.

Love, always love.

He felt the bond to Ignis, and he poured his love for that wonderful, beautiful, monstrous man into it. He saw Ignis rock back, grabbing Gladio’s shoulder.

Noctis smiled through his tears.

Noctis turned back to Ardyn, eyes blazing. Ardyn frowned. Something felt weird about the bond to Ignis. And why was Noctis suddenly smiling?

Idiot king.

Noctis summoned his Armiger, weapons of Light dancing around him. 

Ardyn summoned his own Armiger, glowing red weapons sparkling around him. “Ah, a king at long last.”

Their feet didn’t touch the ground. Their weapons flashed around them. They sent weapons at each other, flying through the air.

Gladio and Prompto stared opened mouthed. Ignis leaned against the wall, his hand covering the wound from Ardyn. It felt like it was getting bigger.

“How do they _do_ that?” Prompto asked, watching as they flew through the air.

“The power of kings,” Ignis whispered. He could feel it tearing through him. It felt like he was being torn apart. Every blow they landed against each other hurt Ignis, nearly driving him to his knees.

Gladio held Ignis up, watching the two kings battle. For a brief moment, he swore it looked like Noctis was a being made of pure Light, and Ardyn was engulfed by Darkness.

Whoever won would win the world.

Prompto watched them, tears in his eyes. It was awful, and it was beautiful. He thought they looked like divine beings.

Noctis lifted his arms, sending every weapon he had at Ardyn. Ardyn did the same, and they clashed in midair. There were explosions, and the red and blue weapons shot through the air.

It looked almost like a firework show, like there was a celebration going on.

This was no celebration.

Noctis took a deep breath. They were high above the Citadel. Noctis had never seen it from this height, and for a brief second, he thought it was beautiful. 

Ardyn slammed into him. Noctis screamed at him, flying backwards.

“My revenge is finally at hand!” Ardyn yelled. 

Noctis shot back, hovering above Ardyn. He summoned everything he had, the Royal Arms flying around, much as Bahamut’s swords had done. He launched them at Ardyn.

Ardyn screamed as they slammed into him. He felt them pierce him, burning him with Light. It exploded around him. He crashed into the ground, breathing hard.

Noctis hit the ground near him, magical energy expended. 

Ignis’ knees buckled, a cry wrenched from his throat. Gladio lowered him to the ground, looking at Noctis worriedly.

Noctis coughed. Gods, his whole body hurt. He levered himself up to his hands and knees. Ardyn was on his knees not fifteen feet away.

“A war…of attrition then,” Ardyn said, getting to his feet. He was pale, flecks of black blood on his face.

Noctis slammed his father’s sword into the ground, pulling himself to his feet. He cried out. Every movement hurt. Never before had it hurt that much to pull magic from the Crystal. He knew what that meant. 

The end was drawing ever nearer. 

As he stood up, the shimmering, massive forms of the old king appeared, surrounding the circular courtyard of the Citadel.

“The kings of yore are on hand,” Ardyn said, his voice rough, “calling you forth into oblivion.”

Ignis felt tears leak from his eye. His whole body hurt. The dagger wound from Ardyn felt bigger, like something was trying to tear itself from his stomach. He could feel both kings through the bond. Both were weak, both were hurt, and it hurt Ignis.

The old kings watched impassively. 

Noctis leapt forward, his father’s sword arching towards Ardyn.

Ardyn called forth his own sword again, beating Noct’s aside. “You think you are meant to be king, and yet when your father died, you were off playing with your friends.” He slammed his blade into Noctis’. “When Lunafreya died, you lay watching, powerless to stop it.”

Noctis hit the ground, scrambling back and lurching to his feet.

“You think ten years is a long time,” Ardyn snarled. “Ten years is nothing! A blink of the eye, a single moment! Nothing!” He leapt at Noctis, each word punctuated by a strike from his sword. He was weakening. Every blow hurt him.

“I have lived in Darkness for ages! I have been Darkness for ages! I am Darkness!”

Noctis leapt at Ardyn, his sword slashing through Ardyn. Black blood sprayed across his face. Ardyn stumbled back, and Noctis kept hitting him. Every time he hit Ardyn, he switched weapons, striking at Ardyn with a different Royal Arm.

Ardyn tried to retaliate.

Noctis thought about Gladio. He thought about his shield, and he remembered when Gladio had sworn himself to him. He remembered all their fights, and yet they still came through it, stronger and closer.

Gladio was his brother.

Noctis thought about Prompto. He thought about his friend, his sunshine. He remembered when Prompto finally introduced himself, and how wonderful it was for someone to treat him like a person, not just a prince.

Prompto was his brother. 

Noctis thought about Ignis. He thought about his one love, the only person who made him whole. He remembered the feel of Ignis’ lips, the green of his eyes. He remembered how Ignis always wanted what was best for Noctis. He thought about how Ignis protected him from the Darkness, even if it meant becoming Darkness.

Ignis was his everything, and he let his love for the man flow through his body.

Ardyn couldn’t touch him.

Darkness and blood flew from Ardyn’s body. 

Ignis vomited black blood, clutching the wound on his stomach. Gladio stroked his back, watching Noctis and Ardyn in awe.

Noctis summoned his father’s sword one more time. It would always be his father’s sword. He slammed it into Ardyn’s chest, blade sinking through his sternum.

Ardyn took a step back. “So, this is how you would end it.”

Noctis sent the sword away, watching as more black blood exploded from Ardyn’s chest. Ardyn’s knees buckled, and he collapsed wetly onto his back. 

Ignis cried out, struggling to his feet and rushing down the steps. Gladio tried to grab him, but Prompto held him back.

“No,” Prompto said softly. “We cannot interfere with this.”

“What if Ignis attacks Noct?” Gladio asked.

“He won’t,” Prompto said.

“How do you know?”

“I have to trust him, Gladio. We didn’t trust him, we didn’t help him, and look where it got us. I can think the worst of him, but I would never forgive myself.”

Gladio clung to his husband’s hand.

Ignis collapsed at the foot of the stairs, crawling slowly towards the fallen king.

The old kings slowly vanished, their blue flame disappearing, leaving nothing behind.

It started to rain. 

Gladio held his hand out. It hadn’t rained in a long time. 

Ardyn laid on his back, spread eagled, the rain washing black blood from his face. He could feel Ignis getting closer. Ardyn’s body was weak, and he actually hurt.

“Now it is over, Majesty,” Ardyn said, staring at the sky.

Noctis walked forward, looking down at Ardyn. 

Ardyn’s eyes flicked to him. “What will you do?”

Noctis knelt next to him, his eyes never leaving Ardyn’s face.

“Banish the daemons and bring peace?” Ardyn asked. Ignis crawled closer, coming to a stop on the other side of Ardyn. He was breathing hard, tears rolling from his right eye. “Erase me from history once more?”

Ignis whimpered, his body folding over, forehead touching Ardyn’s stomach. He could feel the bonds twisting and raging inside him. He could feel his own life draining from the wound in his stomach. 

Ardyn’s hand moved slowly, like he was dragging it through thick mud. He rested it gently on the back of Ignis’ head, fingers carding through his wet hair.

“This time,” Noctis whispered, “you can rest in peace.”

Ignis shuddered and sat up. Ardyn’s hand moved, fingers resting on Ignis’ cheek.

Noctis watched them. Ardyn seemed to forget he was there.

“Close your eyes…forevermore,” Noctis said.

Ardyn’s fingers touched Ignis’ lips. He didn’t look away from Ignis, fingers gently pressing against Ignis’ lower lip. “Izunia…”

Ardyn closed his eyes. “I will await you…in the beyond…Noct.”

Noctis watched as Ardyn’s body turned to ash, his fingers finally falling from Ignis’ face. He left ashy trails across Ignis’ cheeks, and his body was gone.

Ignis cried out, curling over himself. Noctis reached for him, pulling the taller man into his arms.

Ignis wept into Noct’s shoulder. Noctis held him, his eyes closed. He could feel Ignis’ pain through the bond.

Ignis hadn’t loved Ardyn, but they had been bonded.

He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps. Gladio and Prompto rushed to them, kneeling beside them.

Ignis continued to weep.

He wept for Ardyn, unfairly betrayed by the gods.

He wept for Noctis, life cut short by those same gods.

And he wept for himself, because he could feel it.

The bond to Ardyn was still there.

The rain continued to fall.

FFXV

They sat on the steps of the Citadel, rain plastering their hair to their heads. They didn’t speak. 

Gladio held Prompto’s hand. Prompto watched Ignis out of the corner of his eye. Ignis was pale. Prompto could tell he was trying to be strong for Noctis. Ignis didn’t want Noctis to know how much pain he was in. 

Noctis stared at the cobblestones where Ardyn had fallen. He knew what was waiting, what was next. He held Ignis’ gloved hand tightly between his. 

He glanced at Ignis. The ash left by Ardyn’s fingers was gone, washed away by the rain. The ashy remains of Ardyn’s body had been washed away.

Ignis would never be able to wash the stain Ardyn had left on his soul.

Noctis sighed, resting his head on Ignis’ shoulder. He knew he was putting it off, but he wanted a few moments with Ignis, with Gladio, with Prompto.

His shoulders slumped, and he stood up.

Ignis bit back a groan as he stood up. Gladio steadied him, getting to his feet. Prompto bit his lip, fighting tears. Noctis stood above them, staring into the sky. Rain ran down his face, covering his tear trails. 

Ignis shuddered, trying not to cover his stomach. Gods, he hurt. He didn’t want Noctis to know the wound was getting steadily larger. Thank the gods the Kingsglaive uniform was black, and hid the blood.

Gladio and Prompto stood silently next to him.

“Make sure you guys summon your weapons,” Noctis said. “After…after…”

“We will,” Prompto said softly.

They were silent for a few minutes.

Ignis sighed. “So…this is farewell…”

Noctis looked at him, blinking back tears. “Yeah…here we are.”

Gladio reached out, putting his hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “It’s all you,” he said gruffly. He squeezed Noctis’ shoulder, and Noctis covered his hand with his own.

“Thank you, Gladio,” Noctis said softly.

Gladio nodded, stepping back, his chin wobbling.

Prompto blinked back tears. Noctis pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I love you, Prompto. I’m glad you’re my friend.”

Prompto held him tight. “You’re the best friend I ever had.”

He let go of Noctis and stepped back. Gladio pulled him into his arms, pressing his lips against Prompto’s hair. 

Noctis turned to Ignis. Ignis stood there, silent. His face was set. He didn’t move. His heart hurt. 

He knew he would never be in Noctis’ presence again, in this life.

Or quite possibly the next. 

Noctis stared at him. He wanted to take him in his arms, hold him, kiss him.

But he didn’t.

He nodded sharply to them, feeling Ignis’ pain through the bond.

He turned and started walking slowly up the stairs.

“No turning back now,” Prompto whispered as he watched Noctis walked up the stairs.

Noctis was suddenly overwhelmed. He remembered standing here, leaving the Citadel so many years ago. He remembered standing before his father, the last time he had ever seen his dad.

He remembered his dad’s last words to him.

_Walk tall, my son._

Noctis’ eyes went from man to man. “Prompto. Gladio. Ignis.” He took a deep breath. “I leave it to you.”

They stared at each other for a moment, the rain the only sound.

“Walk tall, my friends,” Noctis said.

Ignis took a deep breath. He had to say goodbye. He had to. He had waited ten years for Noctis, only to lose him.

Noctis nodded at them again and turned.

“Noctis,” Ignis whispered, his voice barely audible above the rain.

Noctis heard him. Noctis spun and was down the steps, colliding into Ignis. Ignis gasped, his arms folding around the king. Gladio and Prompto turned, giving them a moment of privacy.

Noctis kissed him hard. Ignis returned the kiss.

He regretted everything. 

“I love you, Ignis,” Noctis whispered. Ignis’ arms tightened around him. He couldn’t open his mouth.

Noctis pressed their foreheads together. “I’ll be waiting for you, Ignis. No matter how long it takes.”

“Noctis—”

“Remember, Ignis, love. Always love.”

Noctis stepped back, his hands trailing down Ignis’ arms. “I’ll be waiting.”

He stepped back onto the steps. Gladio fisted his hand over his heart and bowed. Prompto followed suit. 

Ignis took a shaky breath and bowed as well. “Majesty,” he whispered.

Ignis froze, turning his head slightly. He could feel Darkness boiling nearby. 

Massive daemons erupted from the ground.

Noctis bowed to them, fisting his hand over his heart. He could feel it, deep inside him.

“The time has come,” he said softly. He turned, taking one last look at the people who meant the most to him in the world. He walked up the stairs, pushing the doors open.

He paused at the top, staring down at his closest friends and his greatest love as they turned to face the incoming daemons, weapons sparking to life in their hands.

“Goodbye,” he whispered. 

He pulled the door shut behind him.

FFXV

Noctis rode the elevator in silence, alone this time. Tears ran down his cheeks, catching in his beard. He covered his mouth, biting back a sob. 

The image of the three others turning to face the horde of daemons would stay with him forever.

For the limited time he had left.

The doors slid open, and he took a deep breath, wiping his face and stepping forth. He pushed open the doors to the throne room again, staring at the throne, the Crystal chained above it.

The bodies were gone. He wondered if they had ever truly been there. 

His footsteps echoed around the hall as he walked slowly towards the throne. He ascended the steps, slowing as he reached the throne. 

He stopped, his fingers caressing the arm of the chair.

“I’m home,” he said. He lifted his head, staring out over the throne room. “I walked tall.”

He looked back down at the throne. “And though it took me a while…I’m…I’m ready now.”

Noctis took a step forward and lowered himself slowly to the throne. It hit him hard then. This would be the first and last time he would sit upon it as king.

He would be the last.

He slipped the photo he had taken from Prompto out of his pocket. He touched each of their faces. He set it carefully on the arm of the throne.

“I love you all. Ignis…Luna…guys…”

As he sat on the throne, the Ring of the Lucii started to glow. Runes appeared around him, Light made coherent.

“Dad…” Noctis whispered.

Regis stood next to the throne, his back to Noctis.

“The time we had together…I cherish.”

Light sparkled around him, brightening the throne room. 

Regis stood silent, his face pained. Noctis didn’t look right at him. He couldn’t. 

The Light from the Ring danced over Noctis’ face. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes.

“Kings of Lucis…” Noctis whispered. He could feel them, beings of Light coalescing before him. “Come to me!”

Noctis summoned his father’s sword one last time. He slammed the blade into the soft marble floor at his feet.

Lightning shot from the sky, surrounding the throne. Twelve glowing weapons of Light surrounded the throne. The Royal Arms. The weapons of the old kings.

The thirteenth was in his hands.

One by one, the kings appeared behind their weapons, bodies glowing with Light. Noctis kept his hands wrapped tight around the hilt of his father’s sword.

He didn’t look up, but he was aware as the first of the old kings floated before him. He grabbed his weapon, and flew straight at Noctis.

The king’s blade pierced Noctis, that Light-made body disappearing into the Chosen King’s. 

Noctis cried out, rocking back. His right hand still held his father’s sword, the Ring of the Lucii glowing brightly.

One by one, the kings of old joined with Noctis, their weapons and bodies disappearing into Noctis’.

Gods, but it hurt. 

Every king entering his body made him feel like he was being torn to shreds. It was too much. It hurt so much.

Regis stood next to Noctis, not looking at his son. Every time one of the old kings disappeared into Noctis’ body, Regis’ lips tightened. He had never wanted his son to hurt like this.

Noctis’ cries filled the throne room. His hand loosened on the sword, slowly sliding off the hilt. Noctis was doubled over, breathing hard. His body was a conduit for the kings, for Light.

Soon, Noctis held the twelve kings inside him. Only one remained.

Doubled over, he was suddenly bombarded with images of his friends; Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, Luna, Cindy, Aranea, his father…

Noctis slowly lifted his father’s sword, arm trembling with pain. He dragged it closer to Regis.

Regis still had his back to Noctis.

Noctis held the sword out to his father, staring at his feet.

He knew what his father had to do. He knew what was about to happen.

“Dad…Trust in me…” His voice was soft, pained. His skin glistened with sweat.

Regis’ form, cloaked in Light and armor, slowly appeared in front of Noctis. He took the sword from his son, leveling it at his chest.

Noctis slowly started to lift his head.

_Ignis…_

He was afraid to die. He was afraid of how much it would hurt.

He lifted his eyes.

Regis knew what he was doing.

He drove the blade into his son’s chest, severing his spinal cord and pinning him to the throne.

Noctis grunted, and the Light from the Ring disappeared.

The throne room was silent.

In the courtyard, Ignis screamed.

FFXV

They fought. The daemons were never ending. When one fell, four more would take its place.

They were exhausted, and they tried not to think about what Noctis was doing.

Gladio fought with everything he had, for one more second, one more minute, one more day with Prompto.

Prompto poured his soul into his fight, praying to see the sun rise with Gladio, but dreading it, because he would never see Noctis again.

Ignis fought, because there was nothing else he could do.

With every movement, he felt the wound from Ardyn stretch and contort, grow bigger and more painful.

He could’ve drank a daemon down, healed his body.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

What was the point? He knew he wouldn’t survive the sunrise.

But there was another reason. 

He knew it would hurt Noctis, and he was tired, so tired, of hurting his king.

So he fought silently, enduring the pain, and waiting for the bond to Noctis to sever for the last time.

It took him by surprise. He thought he had been expecting it, but he was wrong. It felt like he was being ripped to shreds, like Ardyn tearing into his back with Darkness, like dying again and again.

He screamed, staggering sideways.

It was done.

Noctis was gone.

Ignis was alone.

Prompto grabbed him, dragging him back and giving him a moment of respite. 

Ignis clutched his daggers, fighting back nausea at the emptiness inside him. He hadn’t realized how much he had come to rely on the bond to Noctis in the past couple of days since the king’s return. 

And now he was gone.

Ignis lurched to his feet, and launched himself back into the fight.

The daemons kept coming, and they fought.

FFXV

Noctis’ body sat pinned to the throne. There was no sound, no movement.

The Ring of the Lucii started to glow, and Light exploded from it.

_Noctis found himself in an empty place, sword in hand. Light swirled around him, but there was nothing else._

_There was a dark pit below him. His feet didn’t touch anything. He seemed to float in the empty place._

_He looked into the Darkness, and threw his sword into it._

_His body vanished in an explosion of ash._

_There was Light, and stars, where Noctis reappeared. It reminded him of his time spent in the Crystal._

_He wasn’t alone this time._

_Ardyn stood there, a smirk on his face as he adjusted his hat. They stood on nothing. They simply… **were**._

_Ardyn swept his arm out in a mocking bow._

_Noctis stood there, watching him._

FFXV

Prompto was the first to fall.

It was stupid really. A simple mistake.

Prompto had summoned his guns, but had neglected to summon his extra ammo before Noctis had died.

He suddenly found himself out of bullets.

He cursed. Gladio and Ignis had bladed weapons, and didn’t need to reload.

He had gotten used to carrying extra ammo in the Long Night. Every pocket had been full of bullets. He had carried as many as he could, in bandoliers and pockets and belt clips.

In his excitement at having Noctis back, at having the magical armory back, he had forgotten.

He had taken a step back, hands shaking in exhaustion as he popped the empty cartridges out of his revolver (how many times had Gladio tried to get him to start carrying a semi-automatic? Prompto had steadfastly stuck to his six shooters), when a daemon came in from behind and pierced his heart.

He felt nothing. 

He stared at the claws sticking out of the front of his chest in confusion. He looked up, his eyes meeting Gladio’s.

Gladio’s amber, horror filled, eyes were the last thing Prompto Argentum Amicitia ever saw.

FFXV

Ignis heard Gladio scream, and he knew.

It was the same sound that Ignis had made when Noctis was taken by the Crystal. It was the same sound he had made minutes earlier, when Noctis had been taken from the world.

Gladio screamed Prompto’s name.

Prompto’s body crumbled to the cobblestones, his head landing with a sickening crunch against the bottom step.

The Alberich, claws dipping red with Prompto’s heart blood, snarled at Gladio. Gladio’s voice went hoarse as he beheaded it, its body disappearing into Darkness and smoke.

The daemons started to laugh, and they took a step back, waiting, watching.

Ignis stood in front of Gladio, shielding him from the daemons. 

Gladio stared at Prompto’s body. It had always been a possibility that one or both of them would die on this trip.

But Gladio had thought he would’ve been first. He was always in the front lines, Prompto watching his back.

The daemons didn’t move.

Ignis could feel them, Darkness pulsing against him. It would be so easy to reach out and take it from them, but all he could do was mourn for Prompto.

The world would truly be a darker place without him.

Why weren’t the daemons attacking?

It was his perfect opportunity.

He took a step forward, intending to drink them down, thin their numbers.

Gladio grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t,” Gladio said hoarsely, his voice thick with tears.

Ignis tilted his head at Gladio. Gladio swallowed.

“Go to Noctis,” Gladio whispered.

They both knew Noctis was dead. “I can still fight,” Ignis said.

“I know…I know, Ignis. But…Noctis wouldn’t want you to fall deeper into Darkness, to give in. I don’t want you too either.”

Ignis felt the daemons press closer, though they still weren’t attacking. He could feel it, even as the wound in his stomach felt like it was about to split him in half. The daemons still listened to Ardyn.

They waited, they watched, because they wanted the humans to fear.

“What about you?” Ignis asked.

Gladio took a shuddering breath. “I will stay with Prompto.”

Ignis bowed his head.

He took a step back, his foot nudging Prompto’s leg. He knelt, fingers touching Prompto’s arm.

“Thank you, Prompto, for believing in me at the end,” he whispered. He stood up. Gladio watched as he slowly started inching up the steps.

“Ignis,” Gladio said.

Ignis stopped. 

“I hope…one day, you and I can sit down over a beer and talk. Try to rekindle the friendship we once had,” Gladio said.

Ignis bowed his head. He knew the chances were slim. He doubted they would be awarded the same afterlife.

“I would like that,” Ignis said softly.

Gladio nodded. Ignis pressed his hand against his stomach and turned away, shuffling slowly up the stairs. Gladio watched as the door shut behind Ignis.

He turned back to the daemons and dropped his Greatsword. He sat next to Prompto’s body and pulled him into his arms.

He buried his face in Prompto’s hair.

“Wait for me, Prompto,” Gladio whispered, his arms tightening around Prompto’s limp body.

The daemons got closer.

Gladio closed his eyes.

The Ganymede stepped forward, its massive sword swinging easily through the air. 

Gladio heard the air rush by the sword. He pulled Prompto tighter to him, eyes clenched shut. 

The sword dropped, straight for Gladio, and then _Prompto was there, throwing himself into his arms, covering Gladio’s face with kisses and words of love, always love._

FFXV

_Ardyn lifted his head from his bow and adjusted his hat again. His eyes widened in shock._

_Noctis was no longer alone._

_Regis, Prompto, Gladio, and Lunafreya stood next to him._

_Ardyn’s lips curled in a smile._

_There was no sign of Ignis._

_They were gone, and Noctis was alone. Ardyn shook his head. Darkness seeped from him, hollowing out his face, making his skin turn white._

_Noctis lifted his hand, the Ring of the Lucii flashing._

_Darkness slid from Ardyn’s eyes like tears as he lifted his hand with a smile._

_Lunafreya wrapped her small hands around Ardyn’s wrist, her hands glowing with Light._

_Ardyn ripped his arm away, stumbling backwards. Lunafreya was gone. Light burned into him, filling him, tearing him apart._

_He panted, staring at Noctis._

_Noctis channeled the power of the kings, the power of the Crystal, into the Ring. It flashed a brilliant white, and its Light started to devour him._

_Ardyn watched, his eyes widening in horror when one more person appeared behind Noctis, putting his hand gently on the king’s shoulder._

_“Izunia,” Ardyn whispered, his hand reaching out._

_Izunia stood next to Noctis, his blue eyes sad as he watched Ardyn. His golden hair was tied back, his beard neatly trimmed. The half-crown of Lucis was woven into his hair._

_He was still beautiful._

_Noctis didn’t seem to notice him. The Ring glowed, and the weapons of the old kings erupted from Noctis’ back._

_For a brief moment, he looked like an angel of Light, wings of swords exploding from his body._

_His body, his soul, was being consumed by Light. His skin was ashy, his eyes glowed red. He was surprised at how much it hurt. He thought that being dead would mean that he wouldn’t have to hurt anymore._

_The kings of old stood behind him, their weapons in hand._

_Izunia vanished._

_Noctis sent the kings to Ardyn._

_Ardyn scrambled back, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide._

_They hit him at once, their Light consuming him._

_Ardyn Izunia, once Ardyn Lucis Caelum, first king of Lucis, chosen of the gods, betrayed and betrayer, was finally, truly, dead._

_Noctis stared at the empty space in front of him. He was alone._

_He collapsed backwards, his body evaporating in a pyre of Light._

_The Ring of the Lucii floated alone in the Light and star filled space._

_It slowly disintegrated._

_Its time was past._

_It was finally over._

FFXV

Ignis leaned against the elevator wall, soft keening cries coming from his throat.

He had felt the moment the daemons had moved in on Gladio. He had cried out the moment the sword had fallen, cleaving Gladiolus Amicitia in two.

Ignis pressed his hand hard against his stomach. He didn’t understand how such a tiny wound had gotten so large. Ardyn had stabbed him with a tiny dagger, and now the wound took up much of his stomach.

It ate at him, like Darkness ate at his soul.

The elevator opened, and he panted as he walked as quickly as he could towards the throne room.

He wanted to be with Noctis.

He had to be with Noctis.

He pushed open the doors. The throne room was eerily silent. The only sounds were his labored breathing and muffled footsteps.

He could go back, summon a daemon, heal his body.

He kept walking towards the throne. He knew exactly how many steps it took to cross the room, exactly how many stairs to climb to reach the throne.

He stopped next to the throne, suddenly afraid. Something pulsed in his stomach, and he touched it.

He was pretty sure his intestine was working its way from his body.

Ardyn’s parting gift had been a painful death. 

His hand reached out, and he felt a sword. His fingers worked down the blade, and he gave a wordless cry when they hit Noctis’ body.

He was impaled, pinned to the throne. 

Ignis remembered that long ago dream, the one where Gladio and Prompto had been hanging from the ceiling and Noctis had been dead, pinned to the throne by his father’s sword.

Ignis remembered pinning Ardyn to the throne with Izunia’s katana.

Ignis’ hand touched Noctis’ knee, and he collapsed in a heap next to the throne. Black blood pooled around him, Darkness leaking from every pore.

His head came to rest against Noctis’ knee. His body was still warm.

He took a shuddering breath.

He could feel daemons coming closer, surging through the Citadel.

He closed his eye.

“Noctis…” he whispered, black tinged tears falling onto the king’s pant leg. “I am glad…I am glad to be with you, here…at the end of all things.”

The daemons burst in, coming closer, howling and laughing.

Ignis took a breath, and another.

And another. 

His hand fell away from his stomach, black blood dripping down the steps of the throne.

Ignis took one last breath.

The daemons reached the steps.

The photo of the four of them slipped from the arm of the throne.

Ignis went still, his head resting on his king’s knee, and his fingers curled lightly around the photograph.

For the first time in over ten years, Ignis Scientia was finally free of pain.

FFXV

In the east, Dawn spread her rosy fingers to the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could end it here, but I have an epilogue in mind if people are interested in reading that. Please tell me what you think of this chapter.
> 
> I realize that I may get some flak for killing Gladio and Prompto, but I pretty much hold that they all died. They all appeared in the beyond with Noctis, Regis, and Luna at the end of the games, but I don't want to argue with anyone about it. For this story, at least, they had to die.
> 
> Just the epilogue to go, and this epic story is done.
> 
> Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter. Please. This chapter means a lot to me, and I want to know if it struck people.
> 
> And thank you, _thank you_ for reading this story. You have no idea how much it means that people have stuck with me through 200k+ words.


	40. Epilogue-The Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god this is it. The final chapter, the post script, the epilogue. This story, this journey, has meant so much to me, and I am so thankful to all of you who have taken the journey with me. It has been quite the ride, and I can't believe I wrote more than 200k words. I will miss this story, but may revisit the world with one shots focusing on certain events mentioned in the past (ie, the cockatrice attack on Ignis, 11 year old Ignis stealing the keys to the Regalia, etc). 
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this final epilogue, and I can't thank you enough.

  
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old,  
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,  
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,  
We will remember them.  
-“Ode of Remembrance”—Lawrence Binyon

Epilogue-Dawn

_The tomb is silent. It is dark, stars shining brightly in the canvas of the night sky. On the ground, Sylleblossoms reach their faces to the moon. There is a gentle breeze, wafting the scent of the flowers around the tomb._

_There is a sarcophagus inside the tomb, with the likeness of the King of Light on it. The tomb is a memorial, not just to the last king of Lucis, but to the three men who fell with him, bringing back the dawn._

_Cor Leonis had led a team into the city the day the sun rose in the east. He had told the others what they would most likely find. He had held Iris while she raged at him, beating her fists into his chest for letting them go._

_They had only been able to recover two bodies—the king and his advisor. There hadn’t been enough left of Gladiolus and Prompto Amicitia. They had gathered what they could and cremated the pieces together._

_The only way they had been able to tell it was the place where Gladio and Prompto had fallen was the Greatsword and the two spent revolvers resting on the steps, surrounded by blood and thicker things._

_There is a statue there now, of the two of them—Gladio with his Greatsword over his shoulder, Prompto standing next to him, gun in hand, looking to the east. Their free hands are entwined together._

_They are together in death._

_The king had been pinned to the throne, his advisor at his feet, head against his knee._

_Cor sank to his knees in front of the throne, pressing his forehead against the hilt of his sword. He thanked Noctis, and apologized to Ignis._

_The others stood around him, weeping. Most cried for the king, Cindy cried for Ignis, because she knew no one else would._

_Cor walked up the steps, and the moment he touched the sword to pull it out of the king, it vanished in a wash of blue light. The king’s body slumped sideways._

_There is a statue there, of the two of them. Noctis Lucis Caelum sits on the throne, sword point down next to him, hand wrapped around its hilt. Ignis stands at his side, watching over the king._

_They carried their bodies from the Citadel, and built a shining tomb for them. Ignis rests with his king. Gladio and Prompto’s weapons guard the door._

_On the morning they sealed the tomb, Sylleblossoms bloomed in the field around the stone tomb._

_It is beautiful._

_At first, people come from all over to pay their respects to the four men. It is hard going, rebuilding the world from ten years of Darkness and daemons, and soon most people stop coming._

_Cor Leonis goes every year, sometimes with Iris, sometimes with Cindy, or Talcott, sometimes by himself. But he always goes on the same day every year, just as the sun crests the horizon._

_Time passes, and the sun continues to rise._

_The tomb is silent. It is dark, stars shining brightly in the canvas of the night sky._

FFXV

Ignis came to face down on a stone floor. He sat up, groaning. He half fell backwards, and found his back pressed against something. He reached up, pulling himself slowly to his feet. He could hear his breath echoing in the chamber. He was still blind.

He reached out and touched the thing he had been leaning against. Yes, as he thought, he was in Noct’s tomb. 

He sighed, running his fingers over his king’s stone face. He remembered everything. He was dead, they were all dead.

“Oh, Noctis,” he whispered, “I hope you can rest easy now.” He leaned over and pressed his lips against the stone effigy’s. 

“I’d rest better if you were beside me,” a familiar voice came from behind him.

Ignis gasped, spinning around.

“Noctis?”

Noctis stepped out of the shadows, smiling. He walked forward, slipping his arms around Ignis’ waist.

“I told you I’d wait for you,” Noctis whispered.

Ignis’ arms tightened around Noctis. He took a shuddering breath (strange, he would’ve thought being dead meant he didn’t need to breathe anymore).

Noctis stepped back, lacing their fingers together. “C’mon,” he said, “the others are waiting.”

“Others?” Ignis asked as Noctis led him from the tomb.

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “Everyone’s been waiting for you.”

“I hope I haven’t kept them…you…waiting too long,” Ignis said softly.

“According to Luna, time is relative here.”

“Where is here, exactly?” Ignis could smell Sylleblossoms, and a light breeze ruffled his hair.

“Luna could give you a better answer, but I think it’s like…a waiting place? We met here, and now that you’re here, we can move on.”

“On where?” Ignis whispered. Would he really get to move on with Noctis?

“Just…on,” Noctis said.

They walked in an easy silence. Noctis seemed well and truly at peace. Each step they took felt like Ignis was being dragged down. It was getting harder to breathe. 

“We are dead, right?” Ignis asked, panting.

Noctis stopped, staring at him. Ignis looked…bad. Nearly as bad as he had looked when Noctis left him on the steps. Noctis swallowed hard.

“Yes,” Noctis said softly, “we’re dead.”

“Ah, I see,” Ignis said. He felt like he had near the end, walking up those steps to join Noctis on the throne. Every step felt like knives being driven through the soles of his feet.

“Ignis? Ignis, what’s wrong?” Noctis said, his voice rising in panic. Please gods, no, he thought. Please don’t let me lose him now.

Ignis staggered, hitting his knees. Noctis dropped next to him, hand on his shoulder. Ignis started coughing up black bile. Noctis nearly reared back. 

He didn’t think Darkness could exist here.

“There they are!” Prompto yelled.

Noctis looked up, fear evident in his eyes. He couldn’t lose Ignis, not now, not after everything. 

Lunafreya dropped to her knees on the other side of Ignis, running her hands lightly over his back.

Ignis couldn’t breathe.

Lunafreya looked at Noctis as the others surrounded them. Nyx Ulric stood at her back, looking down at Ignis. He remembered when Luna had tried to convince Ignis to leave Ardyn, and the blind man had attacked both of them.

This man before him didn’t seem to be up to attacking anyone. Black sweat oozed from Ignis’ pores.

Prompto and Gladio slid to a stop, staring in horror. Prompto gave a soft cry, and Gladio took him in his arms.

Regis and Clarus joined them. Regis stared at Ignis, shocked. Lunafreya had told him and Clarus what she knew about what had happened. It didn’t prepare him for the shock of seeing Ignis in the flesh.

“What’s wrong with him?” Noctis asked.

Lunafreya took a deep breath. “He is still bound to Ardyn. He is not welcome here.”

“No!” Noctis yelled.

Ignis felt like he was being torn apart. He gave a strangled laugh, choking on black bile.

“Ignis?” Regis asked.

“I thought…I thought being dead would mean I didn’t have to hurt anymore,” Ignis coughed.

Noctis felt tears roll down his cheeks. The rest of them weren’t in pain. 

Ignis could barely make out the others talking. His arms buckled and he collapsed to the ground, the scent of Sylleblossoms and Noctis’ panicked voice the last things he was aware of.

FFXV

_Ignis looked around. He could see out of his right eye. He couldn’t open his left. He had been here once before, as a different man, in a different time._

_It was the king’s bedchamber, but it was Izunia’s, not Regis’._

_“Hello, Ignis,” a soft voice said._

_He spun, pressing his back against the wall._

_Ardyn stood there, but it was the Ardyn of Izunia’s time, long hair tied back, face clean of stubble, hazel eyes full of—_

_Ignis slid down the wall. It couldn’t be._

_Ardyn knelt in front of him, gently cupping his chin and tilting his head to look at him._

_“Look at me,” Ardyn said softly. Ignis’ eye met his._

_“You, of all people, bore the brunt of my madness. Most did not survive, but you did.”_

_“For what?” Ignis whispered, trying to pull back. “What was the point of me surviving what you did only to be torn away from Noctis in death!” He bit back a sob. “It seems even you get your happy ending.”_

_Izunia stood in the doorway, watching them._

_“I only get this chance because of you, and Noctis,” Ardyn said seriously. “Because you could do what I could not, remain loyal and true to your king, your love, even when I did everything in my power to turn you.”_

_Ignis looked away._

_“Ignis, Ignis,” Ardyn whispered, “do not fear, for there is one thing that truly follows us after death.”_

_“Love,” Izunia whispered from his spot at the door._

_“Always love,” Ardyn said. “I didn’t believe it, didn’t believe that I deserved it, that I deserved to see Izunia again, but when Noctis finally delivered the final blow, standing shoulder to shoulder with his friends, the first person I saw was Izunia. He waited for me, Ignis. He waited for two thousand years. I would not chain you to the same fate.”_

_“But I am still bound to you,” Ignis whispered, “I can feel it.”_

_Ardyn nodded. “Yes. And that bond will keep you from moving on.”_

_Ignis whimpered. Ardyn tightened his hand on Ignis’ jaw. “I hated you,” Ardyn said softly, “I hated how much you reminded me of Izunia, and how loyal you remained to Noctis, even after I bonded you to me.”_

_“I hated what you did to me,” Ignis said, “I hated how much I needed you, craved you, because no one else would touch me.”_

_“I know. I wanted you to suffer like I suffered.” He sighed. “True death has lifted the veil of hatred from my eyes, from my soul. You have suffered enough in this life, Ignis.”_

_He stroked Ignis’ cheek._

_“I release you, Ignis Scientia, from the bond of souls that the two of us shared. Through hatred, violence, and sex we were bound. Now, through love, I free you.”_

_Ardyn leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Ignis’. It was different than any kiss the two had shared in life. It was gentle, soft, the kiss of a lover._

_“I free you,” Ardyn whispered. “I release you from the Darkness.” He pressed his lips against Ignis’ eyelids. Ignis thought he felt a strange heat flood his eyes after Ardyn’s lips touched them. “I free you.”_

_Ignis suddenly felt like he was floating. He made a startled grab for Ardyn’s hand, but Ardyn simply smiled and stepped back._

_“Tell Noctis I said ‘thanks’,” Ardyn said, “and that he’d better take care of you.”_

_Izunia stepped up to Ardyn, slipping an arm around his waist. Ignis stared at them. They were fading, everything was fading._

_Ardyn gave Ignis one last smile and turned, kissing Izunia on the lips._

_Everything went white._

FFXV

Ignis felt strange. He felt light, free, like he could simply fly away if he desired it.

He could hear worried voices around him. He took a second to identify them.

Noctis. He thought his head was pillowed in Noct’s lap.

There was Prompto and Gladio, nearby and side by side. That was good, that was right. They loved each other.

Another voice, female. Ah, the Lady Lunafreya. That must mean…yes, there was Nyx Ulric, her stalwart guardian.

Two more voices, familiar, yet he hadn’t heard them in years. King Regis and Clarus.

Fascinating. 

He could hear a fire crackling, and the crash of waves. They had to be near a beach then. Strange, that death had a beach.

He listened to their voices.

“Isn’t there anything we can do, Luna?” Noctis asked, holding Ignis’ still body in his lap. Ignis had seized moments after falling unconscious, Darkness seeping from him. It surrounded his body, staining the ground like a bloodstain. 

“I don’t know, Noctis,” she said softly. “Everything that happened to him is unprecedented.” 

“How can it be unprecedented if the same thing happened to Ardyn?” Noctis snapped.

Ardyn. 

Ignis remembered. He’d had that strange vision. Ardyn had looked at him, with eyes full of—

Love.

Ardyn had released him. Ignis looked inside himself. The bond was gone.

He was _just_ Ignis.

He opened his right eye, blinking rapidly. He was shocked when a blurry face came into focus.

It was a face he had never seen, but one he had felt. He couldn’t believe it.

He could see.

His hand shot up and his fingers collided with Noctis’ face.

Noctis gave a startled yelp and looked down, his eyes going wide.

Ignis stared up at him out of one eye, a vibrant green.

“Ignis?” Noctis whispered. Everyone went silent.

Ignis rolled out of Noctis’ lap, eye never leaving his face.

Gods, but Noctis had aged well. He was beautiful.

Ignis ran his fingers over Noct’s face, finally able to put his face to what he had felt under his fingers.

“Noctis,” he said hoarsely.

“What…what’s going on?” Noctis whispered. He didn’t want to believe it.

Ignis smiled. “Ardyn set me free,” he said.

Lunafreya looked at him, reaching out a hand and touching him. He turned his head to her, taking in her appearance. She cupped his chin, staring into his eyes, his soul, as was her right as Oracle.

“He is correct,” Lunafreya said in awe, “he’s been set free.”

“So…he gets to move on now?” Prompto asked tearfully. 

“Yes,” Lunafreya said. 

Ignis ignored everything they were saying. The only thing that mattered was Noctis, staring at him with wide blue eyes. He reached out a trembling hand and brushed it over Ignis’ face.

“How can you see?” he whispered.

“I don’t know,” Ignis said. He remembered Ardyn kissing his eyelids. Hadn’t Ardyn been a great healer once?

Ignis thought it didn’t matter. He could _see_ Noctis. After ten long years, he could see his beloved’s face.

He leaned forward and kissed Noctis on the lips. Noctis pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

Ignis tasted like Ignis. No wine taste of Darkness, no death, no vile taste. Just _Ignis_.

They pulled apart, staring at each other like they had never seen the other before. 

Prompto let out a victory yelp, half tackling both of them and pressing kisses against their skin. Ignis laughed, half pushing him off.

He got his first good look at Prompto’s face.

“What in the hell is on your chin?” Ignis asked.

Gladio burst out laughing, sinking to the ground next to them. He threw his arms around Ignis.

“It’s good to have you back.”

Ignis hugged him back. “I guess this means we can get that beer you wanted.”

Gladio grinned. “Looking forward to it.”

Lunafreya smiled at them. Nyx pulled her to her feet.

“Let’s head to the camp, we still have a few hours,” she said.

“A few hours until what?” Ignis asked, standing up.

She smiled brightly at him. “Dawn.”

FFXV

They sat at the camp. It was on an overlook. Ignis thought it might have been the last place they had camped in life, overlooking the ocean and Insomnia far below.

Noctis had pushed Ignis into a chair and sat on his lap. Ignis had one arm wrapped around Noctis’ waist, head resting against his shoulder. Noctis kissed his head, talking softly to his father.

“Clarus was here first,” Regis said. “He waited for me. Nyx was next, and never have I been happier to call him a friend than when he told me what he did. Of course, Lunafreya came later, and that was a sad day.”

Lunafreya smiled. “But I was happy to be reunited with you and Nyx, Regis.”

“And then we waited,” Nyx said, leaning forward. Lunafreya sat close to him, her hand in his. “We watched as Ignis fell deeper into Darkness, and Luna tried to get through to him. We knew when you were taken by the Crystal, and when you came back.”

Ignis bowed his head. “I apologize for my treatment of the both of you the last time we met.”

Lunafreya smiled. “The thing about being dead, Ignis, is that things like that don’t matter anymore.”

Ignis smiled, resting his cheek back on Noct’s shoulder. Noctis threw his arm around Ignis’ shoulder, pulling him close.

“Everyone was there when I fought Ardyn. Everyone except you,” he said, kissing Ignis’ head. Ignis nodded.

“Ardyn said to tell you he says ‘thanks’,” Ignis said into Noctis’ shoulder.

“You saw him?” Gladio asked in surprise.

Ignis nodded. “Him and Izunia. They’re happy.”

“Good,” Noctis said.

Prompto leaned forward. “Here! I have pictures to show everyone!” He pulled massive photo albums out from somewhere. Ignis stared.

“Where in the hell did those come from?”

“Dunno,” Prompto said cheerfully. “But they were here when I got here.”

Clarus, Regis, Nyx, and Lunafreya leaned forward, looking at the photos of their trip with interest. Prompto explained this shot or that shot, taking them slowly through the entire trip. Gladio sat next to his husband, arm around Prompto’s shoulders.

Ignis closed his eyes, reveling in Noctis’ closeness. Noctis smiled down at him, caressing his scarred cheek.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“And I love you,” Ignis said.

Noctis closed his eyes, sinking into Ignis’ warmth. Ignis was here, Ignis was real.

They weren’t sure how much time passed when Lunafreya looked up, a smile on her face.

“It’s time,” she said.

FFXV

_They stand on the edge of the cliff, facing the east. The sky is lightening, stars being engulfed by sleepy dawn._

_Ignis stands, his arm around Noctis. Noctis presses his cheek against Ignis’ chest, listening to his heartbeat under his ear. Gladio comes up and throws his arm over Ignis’ shoulders, half trapping Noctis between them. Noctis wiggles a bit, getting his arm around both their waists. Prompto stands on the other side of Ignis, and Ignis pulls him close. Gladio’s arm reaches across Ignis’ back, fingers caressing Prompto’s shoulder._

_They wait._

_Ignis looks to the left, where Lunafreya stands in the circle of Nyx Ulric’s arms. They are content. He looks to the right, and Regis and Clarus stand shoulder to shoulder, smiling. He thinks he sees another pair standing beyond Regis and Clarus._

_Ardyn turns his head and smiles at him, turning back to the east. He and Izunia disappear, and Ignis doesn’t know if they were really there at all._

_He looks back to the east, just as the sun crests the horizon._

_Prompto laughs. “Good mornin’, fellas.”_

_Gladio smiles. “Is it morning…finally?”_

_Ignis kisses Noctis’ head. “We’ve been out all night.”_

_Noctis looks at them, his brothers, his lover. “Guess that’s our cue to call it a day.”_

_And then they’re all laughing and crying, sinking to the ground in a hug, hands everywhere as they try to embrace each other._

_Ignis kisses Noctis on the mouth, content. He’s finally home, surrounded by his closest friends, and the man that has always meant more than anyone else._

_The sun rises above the horizon, washing the land in Light._

_And love._

_Always Love._

__

~FIN~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, _THANK YOU_ for reading this story and all your support through the process. Words cannot express my gratitude to you, the reader.
> 
> I am also considering writing Ardyn and Izunia's story, expanding on that chapter I wrote for them, if anyone is interested.
> 
> I have two other stories in progress right now:  
> The Stars at Dawn-a double dose of Ignoct fix it  
> The Enchanted Rose- an Ignoct beauty and the beast AU. 
> 
> I would love to see you guys read those and tell me what you think (shamelessly begging a little, tbh).
> 
> Again, thank you all for your support throughout this process. This story wouldn't have been finished without you.  
> ~Golden Asp


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